Wolf Kill
by HopeSproutsWings
Summary: With Derek getting closer to his final Change, a friend who never should have been trusted allies himself with a family member thought to be dead. Kit, Lily and Chloe are taken. Their only hope is Simon and Derek, but can they stop fighting long enough?
1. Vengeance is Sweet

**Here it is! The last Derek-and-Chloe centered story I'm going to make in this series. If you haven't already, check out my profile for summaries on the prequel and sequel. They suck, but that's what I have you guys for. Ideas and criticism. So help me out!**

**Disclaimer: Darkest Powers isn't mine. Never has been and never will be.**

Xxx Unknown POV xxX

Crazed black eyes looked unseeing around her prison. The woman's retinas had been burnt beyond repair, but she was far from blind. On the contrary, she could see everything as clear as day. That foolish Davidoff had thought her brain dead, when in fact she was biding her time. Waiting, always waiting for a day to get revenge on the man who left her to burn. But it was too late for her plans to be put into motion. Kit Bae had beat her to it, leaving only one other option. Destroy the girl and everything she loves, leaving her broken, beaten and utterly destroyed.

The darkness surrounding her suddenly brightened, almost to the point of pain. Hissing, the wraith shielded her sensitive eyes from the unyielding sun. As soon as it had come, the pain vanished. Blinking her ruined eyelids over pure black eyes, her mind's eye recognized the intruder. He had come to visit her several times, always bearing news of the outside world. She didn't actually care, but he made…interesting, propositions. It was a joy to hear the tortures the man planned just for her use.

Breathing a sigh, she stepped forward into his arms. Hugging him minutely, her scarred figure was visible in a small shaft of sunlight. It was hideous. What had once been a beautiful young woman was now no more than a slab of meat, one scarred beyond recognition. The pathetic wraith should have died long ago, but, barely clinging to life, she awoke for one purpose.

Vengeance.

No hair grew on the melted body, nor fat to cover the bones. Muscles were clearly visible beneath the beautiful gown her visitor had once brought her. The dress only made the figure more hideous with the thought of actual humanity, when in reality that, too, had died. Only rage had kept the woman alive. Rage and the help of a captive angel she had long ago summoned. That single minded anger was what had brought the man to her in the first place. A long-fingered hand brushed the rubbery cheek, making the thing give a gritty purr of appreciation. None ever touched her by choice, yet this man came over and over again for her help and to brush those beautiful fingers over her ruined face. This wasn't the only reason she was helping him, though. Oh, no. They were alike in many ways, the man and her. Both had been betrayed by those who'd feigned friendship, and lost their beloveds.

"Have you had any new ideas while I was gone?" he asked, caressing what used to be her forehead. At her frenzied nodding, the man gave an indulgent smile and cooed, "You know I love your ideas, dear one. Will you tell me?"

Leaning in, her harsh, whispery voice spoke in his ear. Barely keeping her voice down, it hissed, "Let them burn, one by one. Just like I did. Don't make it easy on them. Torture them, drown them, but don't kill them. Leave that to me, darling. _I _want to see the life leave her pretty blue eyes. Bring her to me, and you can have the rest. That is all." Having said her piece, the woman slithered into the deep shadows and vanished. Immediately, an emaciated form crawled towards him, panting and sniveling in it's agony. Feeling no pity, the man kicked it to the ground and delicately crouched beside it. "Raziel. Did you change you're mind so soon?"

Suddenly not so pathetic, the figure raised his head and looked the man straight in the eye. A nineteen year old boy with silvery eyes glared up at him and said, "Never." Disgusted, the man spat something in a foreign language and sent Raziel flying into a wall. The angel spat blood onto the floor and whispered hoarsely, "She's at peace, Andrew Baker. I will not make her suffer through the journey back to the living. Leave her soul at rest."

Andrew stared at the bloody angel with loathing glowing in his eyes. Abruptly turning on his heels, he opened the rusted door and left Raziel in shadows once more.

Xxx Chloe's POV xxX

Sighing softly, Chloe watched outside the window of the guest room of the Bae's house. She and Lily had told her father about a sleep over as an excuse for her to spend more time with Derek. Together, it hadn't taken long to figure out what was going threw their respective other's minds. Jealousy seemed to be the only emotion the fighting brothers were aware of, even though both she and Lily loved only their mates. Any attempts to convince them otherwise had been immediately shot down. It seemed the war was at a standstill.

Lily walked through the door, and Chloe turned to face her. Their friendship wasn't an easy one, especially with Simon using Chloe as a means to anger his brother. They got into fights, but managed to get over it. Exchanging glances, she gestured towards the window. Lily immediately understood and stepped beside her. Out in the yard, Simon and Derek were arguing wildly about some stupid thing or another. Lily caught a glimpse of Kit trying to sneak away from his sons, just in case he was pulled into the fight. Seeing the girls watching, he mouthed the word, "Basketball."

They rolled their eyes in unison, then went down the stairs to collect the stubborn boys. "I've got Simon, you get Derek," murmured Chloe. The demigoddess looked like she was about to argue, then decided against it. After the events in the forest over a month ago, Simon refused to be touched by his mate. This pained her to no end, but she accepted it. She and Derek were practically brother and sister, a completely different bond than what Simon believed it to be. He and Chloe, however, were anything but platonic. While she strived to avoid any and all situations involving Simon kissing her, he tried far to often for her liking. It was so annoying!

Walking to the argument, which now involved shoving on Simon's part and growls on Derek's, Chloe grabbed Simon and started tugging him towards the house while Lily led Derek into the forest. Snorting angrily, she shoved Simon onto a couch and stood in front of him, absolutely fuming! This was the third time in barely a week that the girls had needed to break up a fight before it turned to bloodshed. Hell, they'd even memorized the lectures! It was like being a mother without the actual super cute baby.

"Simon, do you know how many times I've had to separate you from Derek this past month? Eleven. Eleven times, Simon! Why can't you understand that Lily isn't in love with him? She loves you and _only _you…" but just like all the other times, he paid no attention to her, instead glaring into forest where his mate and brother had disappeared. Chloe sighed and simply walked away, feeling a headache building. Running her hands over her face, she decided a nap was in order. For the past four days, it had been getting harder and harder to fall asleep. There was this sense of foreboding that woke her up screaming in a cold sweat. So, instead of scaring the life out of her father, she was sleeping here for the night. In the worst case scenario, Kit would have to drug her or use a sleeping spell to give her the needed rest.

Taking a detour to the bathroom, Chloe turned on the water and splashed at her face. Looking tiredly into the mirror, she knew she was going to see a plain-faced girl with dark bags under her eyes. But what she saw was anything but herself. Staring at her in the mirror was a tall…thing with pure black eyes and nearly no skin to speak of. Before she could even scream, the figure was gone. Breathing heavily, Chloe looked around frantically, then calmed her racing heart. She was seeing things. That had to be it. Not enough sleep can cause delusions, everyone knows that. Practically running to her room, Chloe dropped onto the bed and, despite her scare with the mirror, fell asleep instantly.

_**Chloe's Dream**_

_She woke up in a dark, damp cave. Looking around, Chloe realized the entrance must have been blocked off long ago. A rattling of chains made her squeak in terror. Slowly turning around, she came face to face with the poster boy for famine in Africa. Every bone, every muscle was defined by pale, stretched skin. It was impossible for him to be alive. Or so she thought until she saw his eyes. _

_Silver orbs pierced right threw her as she gasped and fell to her knees. The boy sunk to his own with a grace that betrayed his current state, seeming to have a faint inner glow that warmed her to the bone. She could see now that the chains he wore weren't made of metal, but bone. Human bone. Shaking, Chloe reached a trembling hand to touch them, then squealed when it went numb. Shaking it out, she asked with surprising force, "What happened to you?"_

_The boy seemed to be ignoring her right now. Instead, he spoke in an echoing voice that was anything but frail. "__**I am Raziel**__, __**a healing angel. Years ago, I was captured and tortured by a necromancer. To this day, I am still under her command, but I come to you, Chloe Saunders, with a request and a warning. I beg of you to free me, if you can, for your power is far greater than my jailer's. My warning is this…run while you can, before she can find you. Beware the one who calls himself your friend. He is only there for revenge. He will kill you if he has a chance. That is all I can say. Please, Chloe Saunders," **__suddenly, he stopped and hissed, __**"She is here."**__ His mouth opened in a wide scream as a heavy fog obscured him from view. Pain stabbed at her head so violently, Chloe couldn't help but scream in agony. A croaking voice cackled, "You will never leave this place, betrayer! You share his fate!" The pain grew steadily until she was no more._

_**End dream**_

Xxx Lily's POV xxX

After lecturing a very contrite Derek, he and Lily decided to spar with the pack. Tumbling through the long grass with the former alpha, the werewolf was laughing like a child. Lily was pleased with herself about the change in his mood. These days, he was always grumpy and moody about fighting with Simon. He didn't seem to like it, but couldn't help himself when he saw what Simon was doing with his mate. Turning away, Lily decided to check on the pups instead. They had been born three weeks ago and were utterly adorable. She was their unofficial nanny. Crawling into the little cave the wolves had found near their home, she cooed affectionately to their mother, the red wolf who had first submitted to Derek. Letting out a soft grumbling purr, she took one of the four pups from it's mother's side, laid down and set it on her chest.

Sighing in contentment, she stroked it's downy ears as it snuggled closer to her. Getting a sudden bad feeling, she put the pup back next to it's mother and growled a warning to her. Ears perking up, she snorted in response and shuffled the pups behind her. Lily crept out of the cave and the feeling grew stronger. Scenting the air, a breeze brought the smell of old barbecue to her nose. Muttering worriedly, she caught Derek's eye. He smelt it too. "Road kill?" he asked, confused. Shaking her head no, she whispered, "It feels…wrong." Derek nodded his agreement.

A familiar scream tore them from their musings, sending them running towards the house.

Lily shrieked, "CHLOE!"

**Slightly ominous. I'll eventually reveal who the woman is, I just want you to know that any OC's introduced in this story are either going to die or disappear.** **REVIEW! All you lovely people. You know you want too!**


	2. Burning Alive

**Hey, hey, hey! I'm back! Sorry about leaving Chloe in peril, but it's kinda the only opener I could think of. Anyone ever notice the climax in my stories is at the very beginning? I'm working on it, but chances are this will also happen in further stories. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I am not an actual author with published books. No published books=me no own DP.**

Xxx Normal POV xxX

Lily started racing back to the house, but she wasn't as fast as Derek. He was sprinting meters ahead, not even stopping when a branch nearly impaled his arm. Still running, his wings opened and sent him soaring into the air. Letting out a shriek of surprise, Lily stopped running and stared up at the flailing werewolf. It was times like these that she wished lady luck hadn't totally said _Fuck it! You're on your own._ Why, you might ask? Derek had no idea how to fly, much less land. Which meant without her help, he was likely going to fall and kill himself. So, she stopped and tried coaxing him down, which was impossible because she didn't know how to fly. Sighing, she bit her lip and thought, _This would be so much easier if we had ACTUAL help._

Just like that, the sky darkened and the wind picked up. Derek, who looked so close to whimpering like a puppy but was desperately trying to hide it, yelled to her, "What did you do? We need to get to Chloe and…" he trailed off when he saw what was shooting down from the sky. Flaring brilliant iridescent wings in the now sunny sky, Niall Cain flew beside him and grabbed his shoulders. Pressing points on Derek's own wings, they shimmered like a mirage and disappeared. Shouting, he plummeted the twenty feet to the ground and somehow landed square on his feet. Lips twitching weakly, Lily choked out, "Graceful, my friend. Just like a bird."

Growling under his breath, Derek turned on his heels and tried to run back to the house, but Niall caught his wrist and tugged him back. Whipping around, he snarled, but the grating noise died down as soon as he caught wind of the intruding angel. Clenching his jaw, he spat, "Let me go, _father." _Niall did no such thing. Instead, he herded them back towards the cave and commanded them to stay. "I'll get them here. It's not safe, especially for you, Milady." With those parting words, he flung himself into the air and vanished.

Immediately, they moved after him. Or, at least they tried. The very ground they were standing on kept them in that same spot, and they knew there was no chance of going after the angel. Derek could feel tears of frustration pricking at his eyes, but ignored them as he desperately fought to get to his mate. Whatever anger he felt towards Simon, he hadn't meant it to be passed to Chloe. She needed him, and he knew if he could just hold her everything would be okay again. But apparently a man he had never met before, his own bastard of a father, had the right to keep her from him. It made his blood boil as he fought even harder.

Beside him, Lily was also fighting the paralyses inflicted by them by the angel. Already over the shock of finding Derek's father, she realized just how much she wanted to kill him. _No one _called her Milady, then had the nerve to keep her from the family she had claimed as her own. Most didn't live past the first offence. But at the same time, she felt the gravity of his words and realized there had been a sense of otherness about the scent on the breeze. With a sickening feeling, she realized the putrid stench they'd thought of as old barbecue or road kill was, in fact, decaying human flesh. Suddenly frozen, she remembered the last time she had smelt it. Lily suddenly knew, and was sorry. Because she knew who had possibly killed Chloe, and knew it was all her fault.

_Flashback_

_Laughing wildly, a tiny three-year-old was thrown into the air only to be caught by strong, feminine hands. The owner of those hands planted a wet kiss on the squirming toddler's cheek and set her down on the soft grass. When they heard the sound of a car in the driveway, the woman put a finger on her lips to tell her to be quiet. There was laughter in her clear brown eyes that made her more lovely than ever. Taking the girl by the hand, she stated quietly, "Daddy's home, Lily! You know what that means…" she trailed of, quirking her lips. She let go of Lily's hand and gave her a gentle shove towards the bushes. Lily instantly got on her belly and started creeping through the bushes towards the driveway. _

_When she thought herself close enough, she stopped moving and peeked through the foliage to watch her parents. The woman walked gracefully over to the man stepping out of the car and kissed him full on the lips. Restraining a giggle, Lily crept closer to hear what was being said. She had to wait for her signal, or he would catch her again. Breathing lightly, she listened patiently ._

"_Jared! You're home! We were starting to get worried. Did you get it?" said the woman quickly._

_Laughing, the man kissed her cheek and murmured serenely, "Yeah, Jesse. I got it," Reaching into his pocket, he brought out a small velvet box. "She's going to love it!" he exclaimed happily._

_Smiling softly, she whispered, "Well, I guess we only need one more thing…"_

_That was her queue! Stealthily leaping out of the bushes, Lily leapt like a tigress and landed square on her father's back. Apparently she took him by surprise, because he went down. Then she pulled away one of her hands and saw crimson liquid pouring from one of his broad shoulders. Screaming, she reached for Jesse to be picked up. Tears ran down her mother's face as she ran to the deck and hissed, "Stay here, and don't move." Running back to her father, she helped him limp into the cabin. Lily watched, wide-eyed, from her hiding place as people stormed out from the trees. They hadn't even tried to hide their faces, and were casually dressed in jeans and T-shirts. She saw they were all carrying something metallic, black and shiny. She had a feeling they weren't here for her upcoming birthday. _

_Ignoring her questioning eyes, they broke down the door and rushed into her house. Stifling a cry, she pushed herself further into her hiding place. Tears streamed down Lily's face as she listened to the yelling coming from above her. All at once, smoke started trickling into the air as fire crackled in the house. Coughing, Lily buried herself in damp loam and listened to the screams. Her mother's, father's and others she couldn't put a name to. They filled the air like a symphony of the damned. Sobbing quietly, she shoved her hands over her ears, trying to muffle the sound. The loam pressed in on her from all sides, keeping her cool as flames devoured the house. Jesse screamed in agony, and Lily lifted her head to see her father staring at her with dead eyes. No, not completely dead. There was an unearthly hatred…_

_And it was directed at her._

_The people took him away while she still fought to free herself from the loam. Screams still pierced the air as day gave into night, yet the fire raged on. Finally, the house fell and planks of burning wood fell over the exhausted girl in the dirt, mercifully knocking her out and even deeper into the life-giving loam. The last thing she remembered was the stench of burning human flesh._

_End Flashback_

Tears for her long lost mother, thought to be dead, flooded her eyes. Lily didn't know how or why she was still alive, but if Jesse was hurting her new family, she would be the one to end her life. Of course, it was possible that as a skilled necromancer, she stole power from the men her father had killed that day. If that was true, there was no stopping her.

Simon had been up the stairs as soon as he'd heard Chloe scream. Now he stood numbly beside the bed, holding her hand. She was ice cold and barely breathing, but the only blood on her body was dripping steadily from her nose. Tears trickled down Simon's cheek as he felt for a pulse, just to make sure. Chloe's heartbeat was slow, and if he didn't know any better, he'd say she'd gone into hibernation. Hearing footsteps behind him, Simon slowly turned and met his father's eyes. Kit took one look at her and paled in horror. Approaching the bed, he delicately lifted Chloe into his arms and started outside. Simon followed, still holding onto her hand, rubbing his thumb over the skin. They didn't stop until they were in the trees.

Niall beat his wings harder in an effort for more speed. There was only so much time before _They _found the house. Poor Raziel had sent him a warning, only to be caught by his Mistress. Niall had felt the harsh tug of a necromancer trying to bind him, but he was too strong. The Saunders girl, on the other hand, while strong, didn't know the loopholes like he did. She had been caught and trapped in his brother's mind. If only he could have been there quicker, he could have stopped this from happening. If only Chloe had been trained like Simon and Derek to handle these situations. But he couldn't change the past, and the future wasn't set in stone. There was still a chance.

Before he reached the house, he could tell it had already been vacated. Sighing, Niall searched for Kit's energy signature and found it about half a mile into the woods. Tucking in his wings, he plummeted through the trees…straight into Simon. Immediately popping up off the ground, Niall offered the wheezing boy a hand and pulled him up. Kit reached out to steady him, then turned and asked, "What the hell are you doing here? Derek might see you!"

"Too late for that! Come on, I have to get you out of here. I left Derek and Lily with a paralyses spell near the wolf den, and they are _not _happy. Maybe if you're there, they won't kill me. Now let's go!" he rambled, tugging on their arms. They were forced to stumble after him, leaving Chloe prone on the ground under a beech tree. Simon fought to get back to her, but it was too late. The damage was done. Once they were out of eyesight, a man stepped forward and slung the girl over his shoulder, then smiled brightly. It would be even easier than he thought. He turned and vanished before Niall could sense his presence.

Reaching the wolf den, the angel released Derek and Lily from the spell. Growling, they advanced on them only to be restrained by Kit. "I know you want to kill him, and frankly, so do I. But we need him, so don't."

Niall gave an uneasy laugh and backed away slowly. Looking at them all, Simon burst. "What is wrong with you people! We were so close to figuring out how to help Chloe, then _he _practically tore our arms off trying to get us here. Not to mention I _really _have to pee and I'm…having a very bad day," he broke off his tirade with a tired groan. Looking up, he muttered, "You guys have really bad timing."

"That's why we don't play the drums," Derek and Niall chorused. It turned into a staring contest which, shockingly, went on for nearly ten minutes. Finally, they both blinked at the same time and were about to start another round when Lily, frustrated and annoyed, smacked them both upside the head with such finesse, it would have done Gibbs proud. Grabbing them by the ears, she dragged them towards the den, with Kit and Simon looking extremely amused and turning various colors of purple.

Lily shoved them in, then turned and gazed threateningly at them. Holding up their hands in surrender, they edged slowly into the dark, with Lily bringing up the rear.

Inside, Derek asked somewhat bleakly, "What did you do with Chloe?"

Kit and Niall exchanged blank looks while Simon gritted his teeth to keep from yelling in anger. Clearing his throat awkwardly, the angel said weakly, "We left her under a tree."

"Oh? What kind of tree? Because in case you hadn't noticed, we are in a forest, which is made of many trees. Did you just shove her there like a sack of potatoes?" seethed Lily, angry on her best friends behalf.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's more like, 'Passed out under a tree. Not sure exactly where, though.' Honestly, guys, be careful. Whatever or whoever hurt Chloe is still out there. Now, where is she?" Derek asked worriedly. It had been half an hour since she'd screamed and he hadn't been able to hold his mate yet. They hadn't even told him what had happened.

Blinking slowly, Kit and Niall got into a runner's crouch just in case he didn't like their answer. The angel elbowed Kit in the side and gave him a long look. He muttered, "Okay, okay. I'll tell them." Taking a deep breath, he stated, "Wehavenoideawheresheis." It was almost unintelligible, but not quite. Roaring with rage, Derek slammed into his 'father' and carried him straight out the den. Slamming him into the side of a tree, Derek couldn't decide what worried him the most. Chloe missing or Chloe missing, hurt and in the arms of a psychopathic killer with Jedi mind tricks. Lily, who had run out hoping to tear Niall a new one, suddenly stopped and whispered, "Oh, shit." Whipping around and releasing the angel in the process, Derek fell to his knees and sobbed when he saw the wispy, ghostly form of…

"Chloe."

_Chloe and Raziel were now one in the same. Once he'd dragged her into his mind, the Mistress had bound her with his own chains. Her thoughts were his and vice versa. It was incredibly strange to feel the immense power of an angel, yet the cold energy of a necromancer. Strange to see through another person's eyes and know that they were you're eyes too. Of course, she was disoriented at first, but he helped her discover a way to free herself. Her chains were gone, but she still couldn't get back to her own body. Instead, she stayed in his. It was very, very strange._

'_Raziel, how long have you been captive?' Chloe thought to her host. No words were needed between them when she was in his body. The angel had acknowledged the awkwardness of having a girl taking up residence in his very male mind. It was vaguely creepy because they knew each other's every thought and feeling. That was why Chloe spent as much time away as she could, floating around and looking for her friends. She hadn't found them yet, but Raziel could tell they'd moved. How, she didn't want to know, but she did anyway._

'_**Twelve years to the day, little hitchhiker. It was hard at first, but you get used to the starvation and lack of benefits.'**__ He had learnt the idea of sarcasm from her. Apparently, their mind-meld was good for something, after all. __**'Hold on, Chloe. I think I found them…Yeah, that's them. Niall's getting them away.'**__ She was mildly confused, so she picked his brain and found something very surprising. The man was an angel, and not just any angel. Derek's father. There was so much! Sighing heavily, she shoved herself into the wild white yonder to see for herself._

_Walking a spirit path was difficult if you're body wasn't dead, but because she was a necromancer, it was easier than it could have been. Drifting through the forest, she stopped when a bright light shone like a beacon behind the trees. Floating through them, she stopped and watched Derek barrel out of the wolf den carrying a man that looked almost exactly like him in a choke hold. Slamming him against the tree, Chloe's attention was stolen as the light got brighter. Lily stepped out and looked right at her. "_Oh, shit_," her radiant friend breathed in disbelief._

_Her beloved Derek turned around and whispered her name in that husky, deep voice of his. She didn't like it, though. It was sad, full of pain and anguish. She wanted to tell them she wasn't dead, but Raziel whispered in her mind, __**'They can't hear you, little hitchhiker.'**__So she listened to his heartbroken sobs, and could do nothing to soothe him. Again, he whispered her name._

"Chloe."

**Alright, so Niall and Kit are slightly more… Niall-ish, in this chapter. They forgot where they put Chloe after Lily told them a forest was made of trees. I've been informed that Derek was getting too OOC, so I'll be adding more bad puns. If you have any that Derek might use, send them to me, because I'm stealing some from the book. HEEEEELLLLP MEEEEE! By reviewing.**


	3. Soul Watchers

**Hope here! Midsummermoon is making a parody of Wolf Pack, so check it out and give her some reviews when it's up. So, to clear things up a bit, Chloe is a spirit without a body. Jesse(the other necromancer)bound her to Raziel's body so she couldn't wander. He helped her break the chains. Derek and Lily are the only ones who can see her.**

Simon watched from behind the den wall as Lily knelt beside Derek and wrapped gently in her arms. Holding him close, she rubbed his back and shoulders as tears began soaking her shirt. Simon ran out of the den, planning to yell at them for yet again smashing his heart, then gasped when he saw his brother. He was still whispering for Chloe. Tears filled his eyes and he, too, knelt beside Derek. Taking him from Lily, Simon pressed him against his chest and hummed. This was his chance to be strong for his brother, the first time since all of this had begun. No, he couldn't forgive his brother, but he could repay him. He was humming the lullaby Kit used to sing to them as children, hoping to calm him down enough to tell him what happened to Chloe. It was a long shot at best.

Lily seemed to understand what he was trying to do. While Simon hummed, she stroked his hair and crooned to him like a child. Derek growled in frustration and tried to pull away, but she softly shoved him back. He snarled, then a wing appeared over his shoulders. Niall was staring seemingly into space, right at a perfectly normal looking tree. Then he nodded and murmured, "Chloe." He sounded…impressed. Simon stopped humming to stare at the angel in disbelief. He was impressed…why, exactly? That she was dead and never coming back? _If he wasn't an angel,_ Simon reminded himself, _and if dad hadn't already called dibs on killing him…_

The others seemed to be thinking along the same lines. Slowly, creepily, they turned in unison to glare murderously at the angel. Derek's tears dried as he snarled loudly at him. Wolves instantly echoed the snarl, poring out of the den and forest. Kit, looking a bit disheveled, crawled out of the cave with a huge black and tan she-wolf that seemed to have grown very protective of him. She treated him like a pup, and must have kept him in the den when she smelt the ghost. Forcefully, by the looks of it. Blinking in the light, Kit asked with genuine curiosity, "Niall, what are you staring at?"

Showing surprising maturity, Niall pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed tiredly. Turning to the others, he said, "Alright, alright, I'll explain. Don't kill me, you'll need my help to find Chloe."

Derek spat bitterly, "She's dead. We won't find her."

Kit blinked in surprise. "How can you tell? Other than her being you're mate, there's no way of knowing."

Simon and Lily jumped in to add their own thoughts, and soon it turned into an all out argument. Lily was insisting to Kit that she could see Chloe, while he tried to explain that he saw nothing there. Derek was shouting at Simon, saying he would know if his mate were dead or not, and Simon was screaming at everyone who had ears that Chloe was still alive. Meanwhile, Niall was in the middle of all this looking incredibly amused, then incredibly annoyed and finally completely pissed off. Rubbing his forehead, he raised his head and screamed, "_SHUT UP!"_ His voice echoed along the clearing, making plants bend and animals bow their heads in submission. Finally, everything was quiet.

Relishing the silence, he whispered, "Alright, next person to speak will find themselves burning in hell." To attest to this, a cricket chirped defiantly next to the angel, making him wince. Slowly he turned around, and took great pleasure in the tinny screams that followed. Kit's jaw dropped, but he immediately shut it again. _Best not take any chances, _thought Simon. Niall nodded to him and smirked. "Good boy." he resisted the urge to comment on the remark, instead deciding to sit in the grass beside his father.

Clapping his hands gleefully, Niall exclaimed, "Now, I owe you an explanation. Lily and Derek can see Chloe because they are closer to death than any of you, other than me. However, she isn't dead, just banished from her body. If that goes on for much longer, she will die. But one of my brothers, Raziel, is playing host for her until whoever separated Chloe from her body decides to give it back. Until we figure out who separated her spirit from her body, we're screwed. Any questions?" Lily boldly raised her hand. He heaved an irritated sigh and muttered, "What?"

"Who took her body? Obviously if we can't find her, someone took her."

Blinking, Niall murmured, "That's actually a really good point." Gaze hardening, he asked strongly, "You wouldn't happen to know who trapped her, would you?" Simon realized Lily had tried to steer the subject away from who had trapped Chloe, instead putting it on who took her body. Turning to look at her, he realized she wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. Derek forced her to raise her head but Lily snarled at him and tore herself away. Glaring at the ground, she grumbled, "I have my suspicions."

Derek looked at her then groaned. Finally meeting his gaze, she gave a pained nod while the others looked on in confusion. Even Niall looked slightly annoyed by the silent communication. Nodding hesitantly, Lily nervously twirled her hair around a finger and sighed, "Alright, so you know how I told you about my family? And that I took my step-mother's maiden name?" When they murmured their answers, she continued. "I'm pretty sure it's her. Derek and I caught a familiar scent, the smell of burnt flesh. It's possible that, if a necro is powerful enough, they can defy death by taking strength from a creature they've summoned. From what Niall said, she chose the healing angel Raziel to prolong her life. Now, I'm not saying it'sJesse, but she was- _is, _strong enough. But whoever took Chloe has nothing to do with me, that I know."

Simon couldn't help but feel bad for his mate. He wanted to hug her, kiss her, make her feel better. But he knew he couldn't. She had chosen Derek over her mate. Let him comfort her.

Derek, Lily and Niall turned to look at the bush again, the place they said Chloe was standing. Honestly, Simon thought madness ran in the family. _That would explain Niall, _he mused. The angel turned and looked at him with a hurt look in his eyes, then gave a huge grin. "Thank you." The smug smirk on his face fell when he realized what Niall had said. Mouth opening and closing, he turned to his father and stuttered, "H-he…I, uh…dad?"

"I know."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Simon stared at the three and realized they were speaking to the bush. Niall grunted in irritation, leaned over and covered his eyes with one hand. The angel said something in a sharp foreign language that made his head ache. Opening his watery eyes, he looked at the bush and saw the wispy figure of Chloe staring at him in amusement. Blushing deeply, he realized everyone was staring at him. Lily giggled and turned away while everyone else shook they're heads and sighed.

Moaning in embarrassment, Simon face-palmed and thought, _It just had to be one of those days…_

Lily shook her head in amusement then turned to the matter at hand. _He looks so cute when he blushes, _she thought adoringly. Simon might not listen when she and Chloe told him the truth, but that didn't mean she couldn't admire from a distance. Coming back to herself, she asked the spirit of her best friend, "Chloe, do you know who took you?"

"_I don't, but Raziel might. Speaking of which, I have to go soon, before she finds out about this." _Her voice was as soft and whispery as the wind. _"All I know is that whoever captured me is burnt beyond recognition. Even if you knew her, Lils, you don't know her now. The woman is completely mad. Plus, she looks like the female version of Freddy Kruger, and just as homicidal."_

"So, don't get on her bad side or it'll get ugly. Got it. By the way, who's Freddy Kruger?" Derek asked. Lily looked just as confused.

Simon and Chloe looked at them is astonishment. "Freddy Kruger? Nightmare on Elmstreet? Killed little kids and was burnt to death in his own house? No? My god, when we get back to the house you two are seriously watching it with me. It's practically the best horror movie ever. Plus, the graphics don't completely suck."

Chloe nodded in agreement. _"I can't believe you haven't seen that movie! What, do you guys live under a rock or something?" _Lily laughed and said, "No, just in a cave. Or at least until a month ago."

Smiling at her friend, the ghostly figure flowed like water to Niall. _"So, you're Derek's dad? Wow, I didn't think you'd look nearly the same age as him. That moisturizer you use must work wonders!" _They knew she was teasing him. If she was sharing Raziel's mind, Chloe would know everything the healer did. That included who and what Niall was. Lily's brow creased in worry for her friend. The angel had millennia's of knowledge, and all of it was being packed into Chloe. What could that do to a person? It had driven Niall to insanity, and although he seemed to enjoy it, she had a feeling Chloe wouldn't be as happy as the homicidal avenger. In fact, it could kill her! But there was no way in hell she was going to tell that to Derek. It would break his little puppy heart. Not to mention the eyes… he had only used them on her once, but she had melted like butter in the hot summer sun! There was no way she could survive that look for the rest of her life! It was like looking at a whipped a puppy, then he made her feel bad for doing the whipping.

If Chloe did die after all this was over, she knew Derek wouldn't be far behind. Her friend had the boy wrapped around her little finger. There was no doubt about it. He would kill for his mate. _Let's just hope he doesn't have to, eh, Niall? _she thought to the eavesdropping angel. He looked startled at first, then put on an innocent expression that just screamed, _Who, me? _Lily glared at him sternly and thought hard about what she would do to him if he told Derek about anything he'd just heard. Then she showed him the face Derek would use if she died and he almost visibly flinched. Niall nodded furiously, then glanced at his son and shuddered. _Oh, the horror. That face might just make me a priest. One who can't have children, _he thought back to her. _Too late now, my friend. It could be worse. He could know the effect it has on people and use it permanently._

Eyes wide, Niall turned away and shivered. Lily grinned faintly and noticed Chloe wasn't there. Catching everyone's eyes (except Kit's. He couldn't see her) and asked, "Where the hell is she?"

Simon looked haunted. "I don't know, but the last thing she said was to run north. Then she screamed and disappeared."

"Go north?" muttered Derek thoughtfully. Going north would bring them farther away from the house. That meant people were waiting for them to return. But if Chloe screamed, that meant she was being forced back into either her body or Raziel's. So if Jesse or whoever had trapped Chloe's spirit had pulled her back, then they'd heard her final comment. In conclusion, they were walking straight into a trap. And there was no way out of this one. Trading looks with an alarmed looking Lily, he shouted, "We need to run! Now!" Ripping his father off the ground, he shoved him towards the trees. Looking around, Derek saw that Niall had taken to the sky and Lily, Simon and Kit were already at the tree line. This was their last chance before they were all captured.

And Derek wasn't very optimistic.

Bright blue eyes opened with a gasp. Choking air into her starved lungs, Chloe looked wide-eyed at her surroundings. It was apparent that she was in a cave…the same one she'd first met Raziel in. Looking beside her, a pair of silvery orbs glowed in the darkness. As her own eyes adjusted to the gloom, Chloe recognized the figure of the angel who had played host for her. She also became aware of the hideous pain spiking it's merry way through her head. Barely keeping from screaming, the necromancer tried to hold her head in her hands but realized she was tied to a chair. Hands and feet bound, she could do nothing but choke back her cries of agony. Suddenly, the pain began to ebb. I was replaced by a warm yellow glow that circled her body from head to toe.

"Are you well, little hitchhiker?" asked a smooth baritone voice. Turning to look at her savior, Chloe nearly screamed at the state he was in. It was even worse than in the dream. The boy looked about nineteen with long, matted brown hair that fell into his silver eyes. Every bone, every muscle and every vein was visible from beneath his nearly translucent skin. From the blood covering most of his body, not only had he been starved but tortured, too. Only the luminous glow coming from his eyes assured her That he was, in fact, still alive and not a walking corpse. From what Derek and Kit had told her of necromancers, it was entirely possible. But she had never even been close to a dead body after her powers had appeared. Before she could stop herself, Chloe had pulled the pitiful figure into a warm hug and whispered, "We'll get out of here. I promise."

A hissing, croaking voice made her whip around to the right. "Not if I have anything to say about it, Chloe Saunders."

**Alright! I'm done this chapter! Next chapter will be an ambush on Kit, Lily, Simon, Derek and Niall. Ill they escape? Will they die? Who know, I haven't gotten that far yet. So Review! And I promise not to kill them. 'Cause I'm twisted. The excitement will pick up next chapter, I promise.**


	4. Lose All Control

**Hello, my pretties! Lately I've been having flashes of inspiration for the last story, the one I have now decided to right before the prequel. Sorry, but Derek will get most of the attention in the prequel but not so much in the sequel. Thanks for you're reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Not rich. Not famous. Not well loved by thousands of fans…not Kelley Armstrong.**

Derek shoved Simon roughly, forcing his panting brother to run. It was either that or end up trapped with Chloe. Kit and Lily ran steadily behind, although she was just about carrying him. If it came to it, they might just have to. The protective tan and black wolf that had followed them ran ahead suddenly, growling a warning under her breath. Derek immediately skidded to a stop, making the others run into him. The she-wolf snorted and started running in a different direction, stopping to look back at them and bark commandingly. He got the message, though he definitely didn't like it. She had told him to run while she created a distraction. Smart wolf, but decidedly odd.

As the she-wolf ran off, Lily murmured, "That's Raksha, our little demon. Sometimes she even scares me. She seems to have taken a liking to _you, _though, Mr. Bae."

Kit looked very tempted to flip her off, but, as Derek knew, would never give into the urge. After all, he _had _raised both Simon and himself. If he hadn't done it by now, there was no reason to. The sorcerer in question was waiting like the rest of them for their scout to return. Raksha the controlling she-wolf never did come back. Instead, she howled. The song was cut off in the bang of a gun. Derek gritted his teeth against the urge to protect his pack, even if his wolf was screaming inside. Lily whimpered in anguish and clutched his arm tightly, fighting off her own instincts. There was nothing they could do.

Simon and Kit understood. There was little hope of getting out of the forest without being captured, and who knows what would happen then? There was only one chance and it would likely leave one or more of them dead. Taking a deep breath, he whispered, "Lily, take dad and go east. Simon and I will go west. Hopefully whoever is tracking us will take the bait and only go after one of us. It's better than our other options. Go." Derek didn't bother with the cheesy goodbye scene and neither did Lily. She simply looked at his brother and mouthed, 'Good Luck'. Nodding to her, he took off with Simon in tow.

They didn't have a prayer.

Listening for footsteps, Derek swallowed heavily as he heard his pack cry their challenge. The wolves were willing to fight for him, even die for him. That wasn't the way it should be. His pack shouldn't be following a werewolf not even out of his teens, shouldn't be killing for him. _Things are falling apart, and it's always my fault. _For a split second, Derek almost gave in to the wolf urging him to stand and fight with his wild family. He stopped running only to have Simon pull strongly enough on his arm that he stumbled forward again, then kept running. Right now, Chloe was the only thing that mattered. He needed to hold her, kiss her for the first time. All things he couldn't do if he died.

Snarling lightly under his breath, Derek scooped Simon up from under his arms, ignoring the indignant yelp that escaped his winded brother's lips. There were people behind him, three that had gotten through the pack alive. A half demon, a witch and a human, most likely Cabal. Probably Cortez, maybe St. Cloud. No matter how much he wanted to stand and fight, he had to keep Simon safe. Not only would Lily kill him if he didn't, but despite the arguments, Simon was still his brother. Slowly, his wolf's assault on his mental barriers eased. It was far from happy, but it understood the need to protect his true family. Finally, the growing ache all over his body started to ease. Derek wouldn't have to Change now, but soon he would have to. Possibly alone, if Simon still hated him. That thought terrified him, but made him run faster.

_There won't BE a next Change if you don't run faster, pup!_ The wolf yipped anxiously. Derek could almost feel the witch's spell as she cast it. Simon was definitely slowing him down. Grunting, he felt the pain of his last ties with the pack being severed until only he could only feel Lily. Derek dropped Simon back on his feet and growled, "Get ready to fight."

Seconds later, the witch showed her face. Or rather, her hands. Twisting and whirling them, she cast her spell. Bracing himself for the pain, Derek didn't hear Simon chant a spell of his own. "DUCK!" was the only thing he heard, and he did as he was told. Dropping to the ground, he saw a blue bolt of electricity zip over his head and connect with the witch's chest. He heard the woman's final breath as her heart stopped beating on contact with Simon's spell. By the strangled gasp from his brother, Derek guessed that hadn't been what he wanted, but there was no time to comfort him. Instead, with a light pat on his back, Derek shoved him behind a tree before the wolf could gain control. He didn't want to hurt his brother, and the way the wolf was fighting him, anything could happen.

_It will be quick, even if it's not what they deserve,_ growled the wolf. Now trapped in his own body without a choice, Derek watched as the half demon and human Cabal were slaughtered like pigs with his own two hands. Surprisingly, he couldn't care less. The half demon died relatively quick, with a sharp snap of his neck. But the cabal?…not so much. The man was deftly impaled by several large braches, thrown into a tree an then off a ravine. If he had lived through that, then maybe he wasn't as human as Derek had thought. The wolf stepped back, not satisfied but slightly smug, practically daring him to try and do better. Thoughts crossed his mind, horrible thoughts that would have done Niall proud. But he didn't hunt the rest of their pursuers down and string them up by their toes. No, he didn't even force the Change so he could rip them apart, piece by piece, just to see them suffer and die. Not that it wouldn't have been good justice, but it was damn bloody. _What the hell am I thinking? _Thought Derek, shuddering violently. Thinking about what he had just done, he nearly collapsed. Feeling sick, he focused on the task ahead, if only as a distraction. The wolf's mind faded from his own, leaving Derek in shock and horror at what he'd done.

Blinking rapidly, he barely heard Simon's repeated, "I killed her. I killed her. I killed her…" Suddenly, it became like a mantra. Turning to look at his brother, Derek felt pathetically grateful for having the beast dictating his violent thoughts. No matter how guilty or sickened he felt, Simon had it worse because he had no excuse. Not that Derek thought he did, but the wolf kept the feelings to a minimum. Cursing himself for the lapse in consciousness, he gently picking up his brother, he ran through the forest and didn't look back. No matter how much he wanted to.

After splitting up, Lily ran Kit like a dog to the tree line, only stopping to pick him up when he fell. Which was often. _It's times like these when I wish I was a werewolf. Then I remember the side effects, _she thought wryly. Suddenly struck with an idea, she pulled the man to a stop and whispered, "Hold on."

Closing her eyes, she let the burning take over her entire body. Picturing a gigantic white wolf, Lily began to stretch and grow. Unlike Derek's Change, Shape shifters could shift on the fly into any animal of any size as long as they have made contact. If speed wasn't a huge factor, she might have chosen to become a bear but with Kit breathing like a marathon runner, fighting wasn't an option. The best she could hope for was to carry him on her back, the next best thing to horse-back riding. Lily listened for a moment as a wolf, and hearing no footsteps nudged the Sorcerer towards her side. Seemingly getting the hint, he clumsily clambered up onto her back, somehow managing to kick her in the head while he was doing it. Snorting and snapping her muzzle, Lily waited until he was settled before flying across the forest floor.

Ignoring Kit's yelling for her to slow down, Lily cocked an ear at the click of the safety on a gun. Swerving sharply to the right, the bullet just missed her foreleg, instead burying itself into the mossy earth not even an inch away. Thankfully, blissfully, Kit understood the seriousness of the situation and remained silent. She was just starting to realize just what Niall had been feeling just half an hour ago when he roasted that cricket. Lily couldn't do that, but she sure as hell could try! Grumbling softly, she sprinted lightly past a sleepy looking sentry who turned out not to be as incompetent as he looked. Quickly taking aim, he got off a shot that hit her directly in the side. She suddenly found herself on the ground, staring at an unconscious Kit as a group of twenty men and women stepped silently from the trees.

Suddenly realizing why they weren't all that they appeared, Lily let out a pitiful whimper. They were all dead and under Jesse's command. Lily found this out when she twisted around to take a chunk out of one of their legs. The flesh came easily, full of maggots and turning grey. She quickly spat it out, the smell of burnt flesh lingering in her mouth. Gagging, she attempted to stand which only resulted in three of the zombies grabbing her hind legs and dragging her away. The last thing she saw was Kit's limp body before a sharp pain drilled through her skull. The darkness was a blessing.

Chloe looked at the source of the voice, and found she couldn't look away. She'd never met the woman personally, but what she had gotten from Raziel was enough to make her throw up a little. Truthfully, she was even more hideous in real life. The smell of burning and rotted flesh clung to her like a second skin, much like the dress outlining her entire form. The woman had fourth degree burns, straight into the muscles, which were clearly shown held on by a few stringy ligaments. Turning her head, Chloe retched to the side of her chair. Freddy Kruger wasn't as accurate as she thought. More like a combination between the famous dream killer and the Creature from the Blue Lagoon.

No one deserved to live like this. Even as she watched, the _thing _proved her wrong. The woman glided jerkily to Raziel and hissed, "Well? Don't just sit there! Make me beautiful again!" Resisting the strong urge to tell her to look in a mirror, Chloe watched to see what the angel would do.

Surprisingly, very little. Raziel just gave her a light poke on the arm and said a few words in what sounded

like Latin. The woman gave a leisurely purr and draped herself over his shoulders. Seeing him stiffen, Chloe

decided to try her hand at summoning. Just to distract her and bring a little joy to the angel's despairing

eyes. Even though he was older, much, _much _older, she felt for him like a protective older sister might. It

surprised her. Concentrating lightly, she let her eyes flutter shut. Blocking out the thing's purr-oddly

reminiscent of the time when her father had pneumonia-Chloe felt soft power creeping from the dirt.

Focusing hard, she increased that power with her own until it stirred…only to feel more and more

previously dead things awakening. Trying hard not to shriek in panic, she opened her eyes to see at least

twenty skeletal or rotting bodies of moles, snakes and bugs crawling all over the strangely silent woman.

Suddenly screaming, those hideous black orbs opened and she started swatting at them anxiously. The little

undead critters just kept nibbling on the flesh, seemingly happy as clams. It went on like this until a hard

slap across her face made her gasp sharply, losing control of her 'army'. whimpering, she stared straight

into the cold eyes of a strange man. He glared at her harshly, then turned to the now completely in control

woman. Smiling brightly, he brushed a knuckle against her left cheek and crooned, "Jesse, darling, I've

brought you a special present."

Jesse giggled like a sickly school girl and rasped, "You're too kind to me, love."

The man made a hand gesture and two forms were thrown into the room. Chloe stifled a cry, but it was no

use. Kit and Lily lay limp and unmoving where the man had thrown them. Blood trickled from wounds on

their heads, but Lily was worse off. Blood flowed sluggishly from a hole in her side. Jesse screeched

excitedly, then composed herself and whispered loudly, "Our deal is complete, Andrew. You can have the

girl and the sorcerer, but _I _keep the Shape Shifter."

Suddenly stiff with rage, the man named Andrew snarled, "No deal. I want the werewolf, too. That was the

one I wanted most, and you failed to bring him! I have no grudge with the girl."

Jesse seemed to cringe from his anger. She stuttered, "S-send more men out. I-I'll s-s-send some of m-

mine." With those parting words, she vanished. Chloe, conscious of the man standing before her, mentally

asked Raziel, _Did you ACTUALLY heal her?_

He just shrugged and thought back, _No, I just said 'Go to Hell' in Latin a few times and gave her a static _

_shock._

Choking on her giggles, Chloe gave him a warm smile, which he returned. Hopefully, when she got out of

here, she could bring him, too. Lily and Kit chose that exact moment to groan, making Andrew's head hip

around and an evil smile appear on his lips. Stifling a cry, she thought, _Oh God. Derek, be safe. And let _us

_be safe, too._

**Ooooh, Lily's in troooouuuble! Starting to feel bad for Simon yet? I mean, he's trying, right? Don't **

**hate him! And sorry for the lateness on the chapter.**


	5. Torture

**Soon, I won't be able to write a chapter every week. The first day of high school, and I will somehow get locked in a closet or shoved in a locker because I couldn't find my homeroom. I mostly feel bad for my new classmates, who won't have a clue about any of my jokes. So, I'd like to say in advance, RIP grade nine class of 2012. RIP. That's it, that's all I have to say. I'll update whenever I can, but there's no guarantee because I have three big classes the first semester. Wish me luck, dear readers!**

**Disclaimer: There is no way I'm Kelley Armstrong, or I'd update a whole lot more. **

Derek panted heavily, trying to run the last mile that would bring him far enough from home to rest peacefully. Simon was unresponsive, and he'd had to carry his brother for the past hour or more. Neither of them was wearing a watch, and even if he had one it would do him no good. It would only serve to remind him of what had yet again taken place because of him. Two men would never again see their families or the light of day. Derek highly doubted that Jesse Fern would bury her dead, but that's assuming they were hers. The trace of foreign scent he'd found was familiar, but not the rotten, smoky smell that seemed to cling to her lackeys. No, this was a scent he'd know almost as well as his own family's. He just couldn't place it, and with him running out of energy and Simon practically comatose, Derek wasn't about to waste his waning strength on worthless information. If they tried to kill them, they were to be avoided. Simple as that.

Putting one foot in front of the other, and although he was reminded of that Christmas kiddie show, Derek finally deemed them far enough away from danger. Hacking and shaking his head wildly, his sweat-soaked hair flung wildly around his face. Looking down, Derek came to the realization that there was no way in hell he could go to the city like this. What would he tell the police? _Sorry, officer, but my brother and I just came back from a homicide in the woods. No, officer, I don't have psychotic tendencies. I'm just a werewolf on the run. _That would go over well. Not only would they be shut in an asylum for the rest of their lives, but he would never be able to save Chloe. That was all he cared about right now, the only thing he could think of. _Find Chloe. Save Chloe. Keep Chloe safe. _Come to think of it, Chloe was usually the only thing he thought about. So, really, there was no change from the norm.

Sighing dismally, Derek thought of his mate trapped in an angel's body, probably hurt and definitely terrified. Snarling, he let loose a right hook that snapped a healthy sapling in two. Sitting on the mossy ground, he panted as his heart clenched with the very thought of her. Pain spread through his chest, making him whimper in longing. He'd never been so far away from her, so uncertain about her life as he was now. Every instinct told him to run, to track whatever of her scent remained and fill the void in his heart with anger. But he couldn't. Not until he stopped seeing crimson blood dripping from his hands. Derek couldn't kill again, not even if he tried. Every face reminded him of Chloe, how disappointed she would be with him if she ever found out. He and Simon were her only hope, and he'd be damned if he let that last chance die.

He breathed deeply through his mouth. Calming down, Derek turned to his brother and growled, _"_Get up, Simon." He didn't move, just rocked back and forth slowly while silently chanting, "I killed her…"

Grunting softly, Derek hauled him up and snarled in his face, "She was dying anyways! You did her a mercy. The witch died painlessly." That got his attention.

"S-she was dying? I-I did her a _mercy_? Derek, it doesn't matter if she was already dying because _I_ still killed her. _I _stopped her heart, and _I _cast the spell. But you wouldn't understand that, would you Mr. Self-righteous? No, _you _would have had better control. _You wouldn't have killed her!" _he roared furiously. Simon didn't bother chanting a spell. He simply made a shoving gesture at his brother and sent him flying into a tree. This one creaked, but didn't snap. Growling low under his breath, Derek tried to control the out of control wolf before it did something he'd regret. Mentally, he whispered, _still family, always family. _The wolf let go with one last snarl, glinting eyes reflecting his own.

Finding a tenuous control, Derek breathed and opened his eyes. He didn't bother with hurtful words or actions. Instead, he shoved his bloody hands near Simon's face and watched his brother get a good, long look. Simon took a step back at the rusty smell of blood, gazing in horror at the dried gore liberally coating every inch of his body. Derek could smell his disgust and backed away to the trees. All his life, he'd been told by complete strangers that he was no more than a monster to be controlled and killed. Humans and Supernaturals all looked away when he came into the room, unable to meet his eyes. They felt the wildness that no amount of torture or love could control. They were afraid of what they didn't understand. That was why he stayed hidden in even the most public of places. Because no matter who or what they were, everyone around him avoided the hulking teenager with wild wolf eyes. And it should stay that way.

Simon, though…that was a first. His brother had never backed away from him, always seeing the person instead of the monster. But now it seemed he was finally getting a glimpse of what he'd ignored for so long. It was only to be expected, after all. Who would trust anyone covered in blood, especially if it wasn't their own. Simon's fear hit him like a brick to the face, making him whimper in silent despair. Turning around, he forced his aching body to run as far and as fast as it could. But he wasn't quick enough. Simon grabbed his arm and swept his legs out from under him. Yelping in shock, Derek's battered form hit the ground with a harsh thud, knocking the breath out of him. He hadn't expected Simon to try taking him down. Hell, he didn't even know he could!

Wheezing, he met Simon's angry eyes. Wincing slightly, he waited for his brother to scream at him, tell him he was a murderer. Anything but walk away. Simon surprised him, though. Instead, he got angry over something else that under different circumstances might have made him laugh.

"What the hell? You're bleeding and you carried me for God only knows how many miles! Derek, you're such a masochist. Why don't you just admit, for once in your damn life, that you're in pain? It won't kill you to admit it!" Giving a very impressive growl, Simon continued his tirade. "None of this is helping Chloe! As soon as we get her back, I'm going to walk right up too her and tell her how I feel. Then Lily will know I'm not kidding when I tell her I'm over her…"

In the middle of this rant, Derek's jaw had dropped ever so slightly. Even though he was still winded, he managed a choppy snarl that sounded half-way threatening. Chloe was his, not Simon's. _His._ With her sweet Lilac scent and cupid's bow lips, she was his alone. He was going to kill his brother, he truly was.

And this time, there was no one to stop him.

Blinking hazily, Lily cleared the blood from her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling. Dozens of cuts, shallow and deep, covered her lithe body and turned her skin a ruddy red. Blood rushed in her ears, drowning out the words her former step-mother was hissing out of her ruined mouth. Lily could remember the times that her voice, then soft and sweet, had lulled her to sleep at night with soft kisses to her white hair. Holding back tears, she came back to the here and now. Memories were just that.

Memories.

Glaring hatefully at the creature Jesse had become, Lily flexed her bound hands experimentally. The knots were tight, but nothing a sharp claw couldn't unravel. Too bad there was a knife to Chloe's throat preventing her from doing anything more than shift her weight. The strawberry-blond was like a sister to her now, and there was no way she was risking her sister's life. Derek would kill her, just like she would kill him if Simon got hurt. Even if the two of them were fighting like cats and dogs, Derek wouldn't kill him. Not just because of her, either. They were brothers through-and-through, even if they were about to slit each other's throats over who got Chloe. _It's kind of stupid, if you think about it, _Lily mused absently. _Derek already has her, and Simon just wants to spite Derek. Chloe is loosing patience waiting for Derek to realize she loves him, and Simon is frustratingly waiting for her to kiss him. Meanwhile, I'm waiting for Simon to realize he's an idiot and suddenly we're all running for our lives. _Lily grimaced as she rolled her neck, hearing a crack as she straightened in her chair.

Hearing a gasp from Chloe, Lily snapped to attention. A thin trickle of blood was running down her neck and gathering near her collar bone. Biting her lip, she forced her eyes back to the glittery black orbs currently daring her to try something. Hiding the fear that was making her stomach roil and twist, she drawled, "Yeah, I got it. No moving, no escaping, no shoes, no shirt, no service. It's etched in my brain. Clear as crystal." At the slightest twitch on the woman's face, she sighed and muttered, "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I doubt I can move with all you're little 'insurance measures.'" Lily nodded to the deep cuts on her legs, one showing the pearly white of bone. The movement made her side scream in pain, but she ignored it and silently cursed the Cabal for not doing a better job of burning the house.

Seemingly satisfied, the wraith of Jesse Fern removed the knife from Chloe's throat and instead made a cut on her face, just above Lily's right eyebrow. Blood flowed into her eyes and turned the cave crimson. Laughing insanely, she staggered into another part of her prison, leaving Lily, Chloe and an unconscious Raziel to talk. Well, not Raziel. The healing angel wouldn't be awake for a while. What Jesse had done to him was a lot worse than what was currently making her tan skin run with her own blood. Fortunately, Chloe was virtually untouched except for a purple bruise in the form of a man's hand. When she got the chance, Lily was going to draw and quarter Andrew Baker for everything he had done to her new family.

Kit had been taken away by some of the traitor's minions. They were the same as Jesse's, but alive. Of course, they were all terrified of their 'masters', and with good reason. It seems the sorcerer had made Andrew Simon's godfather, making it all the more difficult to believe his betrayal. At least until the man shoved a knife straight to the hilt into Kit's leg. That made it rather easy to plan his murder. She and Chloe had decided to leave Jesse to Raziel for everything the bitch had done to him, which included torturing him, trapping him, summoning him, raping him and other rather horrifying things he told them never to speak about. This was before she beat him to oblivion and cut Lily's legs to smithereens. Ah, good times with family.

But Jesse was no longer her family. Chloe, Kit and even Raziel were the only ones she was worried about. Poor Kit. There was no way of knowing what that bastard Andrew had done to him.

Kit gasped and sputtered as freezing cold water was dumped over his head, both cleaning his head wound and aggravating his already nasty temper. Reaching down to gingerly touch his shattered leg, the chains attaching him to the floor of the dungeon-esk cell clinked and rattled. A shadow fell over the sorcerer, and his head snapped up.

Eyes full of fierce hatred, Kit snarled in a good impression of Derek, "Andrew, you S.O.B, why don't you show you're face? Or are you hiding like the coward we all know you are?" Jason raised his head weakly, and the Agito half-demon twins, Sam and Victoria, were too far into unconsciousness to be of any help.

A sudden flare lit the desolate room, showing an evil looking Andrew holding a sparking match. Moving closer, he stated, "No, Kit, I'm not hiding. So who will it be, old friend? Who dies first?"

**I promise more of Kit in the next chapter, and Simon will probably get more OOC until the chapter where Derek Changes. Then he won't be an asshole anymore, I promise! Remember, I'm killing all my OC's in this story.**


	6. Baby So Fine

**Sooooo much homework… I already have a project due, and I just got the thing Wednesday! Thankfully, I did the same thing in grade five and I have a good partner. That means more time for writing! Of course, the other stuff means less time for writing, which means either you won't hear from me often or my spelling will be absolute crap. Anywho, sorry! **

**PS, I have a poll up on my profile. It has a few possible names for Derek's brothers in my next story. If you don't like those, send me some of your own. On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: No where NEAR as talented as Kelley Armstrong. Don't own DP.**

Previously

_Eyes full of fierce hatred, Kit snarled in a good impression of Derek, "Andrew, you S.O.B, why don't you show you're face? Or are you hiding like the coward we all know you are?" Jason raised his head weakly, and the Agito half-demon twins, Sam and Victoria, were too far into unconsciousness to be of any help._

_A sudden flare lit the desolate room, showing an evil looking Andrew holding a sparking match. Moving closer, he stated, "No, Kit, I'm not hiding. So who will it be, old friend? Who dies first?"_

Now

Kit was stunned into silence at his enemy's words. _Choose _who dies and who lives? No one should have to make that choice…but he already had. Ten years ago when he had left Andrew's dead wife on the floor and scooped a five year old from her still warm arms, he had chosen her to die and Andrew knew it. He'd known there was a seventy percent chance that whoever went in there was going to die, if not for taking their subject then to try killing Derek. He'd known there was a chance they would reanimate her and use her in their cruel experiments. But she had done it anyways. Sarah had always put her own safety behind everyone else's, something his son seemed to have taken from her. They were both stubborn, both ready to die to protect everyone else.

Both a lot less than innocent.

Sarah had been one of the scientists to experiment on Derek, always compassionate but rarely able to do anything. So she'd brought him to the lab one day, to see the tiny babies who she was supposed to hate and torment. The ones she'd fallen in love with.

_Flashback_

_Walking beside her, Kit was confused by the determined look on her face. When Sarah had called, she said it was urgent, a matter of life and death. It had worried him enough to drive to her house, breaking every speed and traffic law in the city, to see what he could do. As soon as he'd knocked, she'd forcefully pushed him into her Prius and driven like mad to a lab. Sarah never spoke a word, just tugged him through the glass doors and flashed a keycard to the guards. By then, Kit was beyond confused and slightly worried about his friend's gentle wife, who now had traces of tears in her eyes. It worried him enough to tug the woman to a stop and hiss lightly, "What's wrong?"_

_Sarah sniffled, then wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I have to show you something, Kit. Promise me…promise you won't hate me for what I've done."_

_She sounded so grim and sincere that he could only nod. What she showed him next, well…it changed his life._

_Pushing him to a door, Sarah punched in a code and swiped her card then led him to a large Plexiglas cage taking up most of the room. Kit peered warily into the cage, but jumped back when, with a shriek, a beautiful young woman bashed against the wall of her prison. The sickening thud made him flinch with empathy of the hard hit, but stopped in shock when he heard the only intelligible words out of her mouth._

"_My puppies! Give them to me! GIVE ME MY BABIES!" _

_As if through a daze, the woman bared her teeth in a ferocious snarl and Changed before his eyes. Where once a woman stood, with the crackling of bones there was only a wolf, insane and utterly enraged. The large she-wolf flung herself against the cage again and again until her body was bloody. Finally, she knocked herself out._

_Turning slowly to look at his friend, he breathed, "What have you done?"_

_Shaking her head wordlessly, she grabbed his arm tightly and pulled him down another hallway leading out of the room. After several twists and turns, the only door left was made of reinforced metal with what looked like an automatic locking system. Silently, Sarah swung the door open and let the tears fall free at the sight that only she knew greeted them. They were in an observation platform overlooking several scientists and…babies?_

_No, not babies. Werewolf pups, all of them. Kit couldn't help but admit they were the most beautiful and innocent things he had ever seen. They were dressed in little blue footie pajamas, kicking their feet and gurgling as they were fed. All were tearing wildly at the bottle, trying and succeeding in getting milk all over their faces. Except for the biggest one, which was calmly suckling and holding onto his nanny's index finger. The atmosphere was ruined, however, when four scientists stepped into the room holding large needles made for puncturing muscle and bone. The happy gurgling turned into screams of pain as the needles went into their arms and drew samples of bone marrow from their tiny limbs. He couldn't help but think of his expecting wife, just four months with their child. What would he do if Eve was in the insane she-wolf's place?_

_Listening to them wail, he heard a much wilder adult cry pierce the air followed by a scream of absolute terror. In the chaos that followed, Kit realized just what Sarah had shown him. He turned to her, but he hadn't even opened his mouth when she growled firmly, "Someday, I _will_ save them." then turned and walked away._

_End Flashback_

Of course, Andrew had never known what she'd had to do to those babies as they got older. Tests day after day, both for her and them. If Andrew had known about his wife's involvement, would he be doing this? Or would he even care?

Caught up in the moment, he almost missed the hissed, "You have one hour to choose."

Lily caught herself before she could scream Simon's name. Her heart ached with longing, and by the look in her eyes Chloe was missing Derek just as much. Raziel, now fully conscious as of three seconds ago, looked at them with solemn eyes. It was disconcerting, the way those silver orbs could stare straight through you…shivering, Lily instead locked eyes with Chloe and involuntarily gave a wry smile. The foolish girl was staring at her mutilated body, eyes glued to her still-bleeding legs. Laughing, she whispered reassuringly, "I'm alright, Chlo. Their starting to heal already." No entirely true, but she had to say _something_.

Licking her cracked lips and blinking guiltily, Chloe looked away and started awkwardly, "You know, I miss them too. Derek…well, he can take care of himself, but I _need to be there._ It…hurts, being away from him, you know?" Lily nodded, understanding perfectly well what Chloe was talking about. It was probably worse for Derek, just like it was worse for her. The pain in her heart overrode the pain in her body every time. Chloe continued. "Of course you do. I've seen you with Simon at night." There was a slightly playful glint in her friend's eyes. It was the wrong time and place for it, but Lily appreciated the effort.

Blushing lightly, she muttered half-heartedly, "He avoids me like the plague during the day, so the night's all I have." Chloe must have seen her sneak in one morning when she went to the bathroom. Truthfully, it hurt like hell to have her mate go out of his way to get rid of her. If only he knew that shifters gave their hearts only once, then never again. Simon was it for her, even if he wouldn't acknowledge it to himself. So every night, when he was asleep, she would creep into his room just to run her fingers through his feather-soft blond hair and stroke his softly curved cheek, unblemished and smooth. Every time she was with him, she could see what they're lives together could be like. A small house in the forest, tons of kids and maybe even a dog. One that wouldn't bite Derek like Tito the Soul-sucking Chihuahua. Laughing out loud this time, Lily spluttered the story to Chloe and soon had her and Raziel hysterical.

"S-sorry, guys. Hey Chloe, did Derek ever tell you how he got that scar on his hand? It's hilarious!"

Seeing red, Derek gave a wild howl and flew at Simon. Grabbing hold of his arm, he flung his brother into the trees where he landed safely in a bush. Unfortunately, that gave him enough time to conjure enough fog to choke and elephant. Coughing on the thick-as-mushroom-stew air, Derek crouched and snarled as the fog blocked Simon's scent. Hearing a crunch and heavy footfalls, he growled in satisfaction as they came straight towards him. Whipping towards the noise, Derek waited patiently until Simon stumbled right into him. After crashing against his chest, Simon slowly looked up and whispered brokenly, "Oh, shit…"

Pushing himself away, the fledgling sorcerer readied a spell as the werewolf opposite him crouched and snarled. Neither got very far, as the fight was interrupted by a swoosh of luminescent wings as Niall landed between them. In mere seconds, the choking fog was history and both boys were being pressed against trees. Derek snarled and fought, while Simon glared and tried to cast horrific spells on his brother. Sighing in exasperation, the avenging angel caught sight of the blood on Derek's clothes. Keeping his spell intact, he proceeded to check his son over for injuries. When he found none, he smiled proudly and pulled him into a hug. Instantly, Derek stopped fighting and blinked in confusion. _Why _was he being held? Then he saw Simon and started struggling again.

Niall groaned. No, he _couldn't_ have come at a better time. He just _had_ to make sure his son was alive. Right now, he was seriously regretting it. Absently, he wondered if he could just kill Chloe and get it over with now. Then he remembered the puppy eyes, and shuddered. Looking at the boy's face, Niall intently studied it and pictured _that look _on it 24/7. It made him wince, and immediately he changed his mind. He would _not _be the cause of his only son's eternal suffering. Hell, look what happened to Jared when he fell in love with Lady Shipa! Now _that _was a mess. Especially after that Jesse girl came into the picture. Of course, then she _left _the picture and blew it to the ninth circle of hell. It hadn't been fun cleaning up after him then. Derek would be out for blood if anything happened to Chloe, and just like Jared, _that look _would never leave his face. Eye twitching slightly, Niall gave his son's shoulder a strong squeeze and turned to the young sorcerer.

Simon looked like crap. Honestly, he did. There were purple bruises marring the skin on his arms and there were huge dark rings under his eyes. Scrunching up his face, the angel gave what he hoped was a sympathetic look, but honestly probably looked like he was deciding whether or not to kill him now, or later. Going by the look of fear he was receiving, Niall could pretty much guess which one it was. Leaving his son, Niall leant over to place his mouth near Simon's ear and whispered pleadingly, "Give him Chloe, boy. Do you really want to see this face every day? 'cause |I sure don't." Forcing an image of the dreaded, hideously adorable face that housed _that look, _Niall disappeared and left them to they're own devices. But not before he shouted, "Oh, that reminds me. Simon, Derek…" here he paused and pictured _that look _on the werewolf's face. Shuddering slightly, he forced himself to continue. Hurriedly, he said, "Go save Chloe and Lily before Lily runs out of body parts to slice. There's a cabin about a mile out in the woods, so unless you want to stay in a forest surrounded by homicidal maniacs with nothing to lose, I suggest you get you're asses moving. Toodles! Don't kill each other!"

Staring at the spot Niall had disappeared from, Derek stated blankly, "Ladies and gentlemen, my father the psychopath."

Simon stated, "I guess we know what he passed on to you, huh?"

Glaring murderously, Derek started walking quickly in the direction the angel had pointed to. Simon, struggling to catch up, shouted, "Hey! Wait up!" pausing for a second, he finally realized what the angel had said. Eyes wide with horror, he screamed suddenly, "What did he _MEAN, _run out of body parts?"

**Alright, confusing chapter. Yes, they tested on Derek as a baby and yes Andrew's wife was a scientist. How many of you remember Sarah? Will Simon and Derek be able to save their mates from certain death? Will this author stop putting in commentary? Yes. Yes I will. REVIEW! Flames welcome. They give my fire demon a workout.**


	7. Acadia is Gone

**I is BAAA-AAACK! I've decided to write the prequel before the sequel, and when this series is done to write a fic that has normal Derek and a lonely Simon. They won't be as OOC, and Derek's Changes will be more frequent. For example, a week after his last Change instead of a month. Yeah, it wasn't until after I read the books again that I realized he wolfed out once a week. Oops. I'll probably make a crossover with the new series, as well. I'll shut up now.**

**Disclaimer: Derek has wings. The wings are mine, but the person attached to them? Not so much. Don't own DP.**

"…and that's why Derek flinches whenever he sees a Chihuahua," Lily choked. Finally, the laughter won over the pain and loud howls of glee echoed in the blood painted room. Chloe and Raziel were turning slightly blue, making no sound as their shoulders shook at the absurdity of big, strong Derek cowering from an itty-bitty bundle of fur. Finally, the necromancer gasped for breath and spluttered, "Oh my God! Poor Derek is scarred for life by a rat-dog!" **(AN: I have nothing against Chihuahuas. They are adorable, if somewhat yappy.) **

That started of another round of hysteria at the werewolf's expense. _If only he were here… _Lily thought longingly. The pain in her chest got worse as she thought of her alpha holding her heart in his hands. Literally. There was no doubt in her mind hat she would kill him if anything happened to her _Corazon. _Simon always said he could take care of himself, but look hard enough and you could see how much the very thought of being alone frightened him. The young sorcerer was very social, especially for a supernatural. Most less-than-human beings kept to themselves and their families, barely interacting with the outside world. With the exception of witches and sorcerers, all of them hid in forests and remote cities around the world. The spell-casters hid in plain sight, and even if you were looking for them you would never find them without a werewolf, vampire or shape shifter, all of whom would rather die than help capture another supernatural. Loyalty comes at a harsh price in their world.

That price was always much worse than death.

The harsh reality weighed Lily down, nearly making her scream in sheer frustration. Feeling came back into her frozen limbs, making her choke on the pain. Though Raziel had healed the worst of the wounds, he hadn't been able to finish. She'd have killed him if he had. Lily didn't want the angel any weaker than he was now, or they might have to leave him behind when the boys came for them. There was no way in hell Chloe would leave him, except maybe if Derek gave her the eyes…and that was enough of _that_ picture. _One of these days, he's gonna kill someone with all that cuteness. _She could see it now. Cabal after Cabal gasping and clutching their hearts, always after looking into the heartbroken eyes of a child. Not that it could actually happen. Niall would most likely kill every person in the world if even one of them got Derek to make _that face. _Truthfully, anyone would just to get rid of the deadly guilt that sears at you're heart until it is only a husk.

Suddenly disgusted with herself, Lily pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She was supposed to make Chloe and Raziel happy and forget about where they were. Absently, a song popped into her head. It wasn't the best way to pass the time, since her singing voice was mediocre at best, but she'd give it a shot. In a shaky voice, a little off-key and much too reedy, Lily gave it her all.

**(Acadia, Marianna's Trench)**

_In the house I grew up in My room in the basement the hours turning to years we spent Remember Chris in the backyard Laughing so damn hard and no one knew why But the rest is forgotten behind me Sometimes it reminds me of when we, we used to belong here Every memory comes on when I hear that old song That we used to sing with the words all wrong I remember the faces and familiar places And I sing along but Acadia is gone Ran out of gas on the highway, we walked there And I gave drunken speeches on the sobriety Now we've all moved away and somehow became men But I remember where it began Left behind me Sometimes it reminds me of when we, we used to belong here Every memory comes on when I hear that old song That we used to sing with the words all wrong I remember the faces and familiar places And I sing along but Acadia is gone Remember when 1712 Acadia Road fell And they tore the house down Every memory comes on when I hear that old song That we used to sing with the words all wrong I remember the faces and familiar places _

_And I sing along but Acadia is gone_

Ending in a soft hum, she watched Raziel's eyes close and not reopen. Smiling tiredly, she faced Chloe and saw the sleepy look on her face. Lily had done better than she thought. Although her voice wasn't the best, there had been such emotions in her song that even though the hoarse and rasping voice was so reminiscent of their captors', the two of them couldn't help but be soothed by Lily's voice. For the first time in ages, they fell into dark, dreamless sleeps. All but Lily, who knew that between the pain in her heart and the pain of her wounds that she wouldn't rest tonight. Instead, the silver-headed demi-goddess slumped in her chair and watched. No one would harm her pack tonight.

Kit swallowed dryly. He was thirsty. And hungry. And cold. Not to mention he and his companions were shackled to a wall in a very dark cell and soon he was going to have to choose one of them to die. _The good times just keep on coming, _thought Kit wryly. The last time he had seen the others was before rescuing Derek from death by Change. Apparently, it had been enough to give each of them a death sentence and for that he was sorry. When he said this, they vehemently denied his forgiveness. At his slightly hurt look, Sam and Victoria exclaimed in perfect unison, "It's not you're fault."

This made the sorcerer gawk at them. _Of course it's my fault, _thought the stunned Kit. _Kayla and old Zeke would still be alive if I hadn't asked for their help…_ Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he remembered the man who had been like a second father to him. As a shaman, the elder had always tried to heal others pain. Physically and emotionally. Powerful shamans could make you forget every bad or painful thing that had ever happened to you. Zeke had been one of those. He'd been willing to try with Derek, but had died before he could even try. A good man, if ever there was one. Kayla, too, had been a good person. No, _beyond _even a great person. She had been with him the day Derek came home, having fallen in love with him the instant he was put in her arms. Kayla had been an innocent little girl then, just out of her Junior year in high school. So innocent, yet so willing to fight for the small werewolf she had dubbed her 'little cousin'. truly, the shape shifter had been beautiful inside and out. Perhaps that was why he'd fallen in love.

It hadn't been like that in the beginning. After Evangeline had left him with the then four-year-old Simon, all he had wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry. Kayla had been like a shining light, caring for both Simon and Derek when he couldn't face the mornings. Somehow, she had always known. Slowly but surely, Kit found himself standing in the kitchen, a twenty five year old separated man giving the seventeen year old girl cow-eyes and following her around like a lost dog. It was embarrassing, especially since little Derek had looked at him strangely. The boy had probably smelt his unruly emotions, because his face had turned to horror as he fled upstairs. _It was worth it, _laughed Kit. He instantly stopped thinking when the looks his companions shot his way could only be described as incredulous and questioning his sanity. _Wait until they meet Niall. Their heads will explode! _To ease the worry they were no doubt feeling, Kit gave a mockery of his former grin. Apparently, it was more like Niall's than even he would care to admit, and probably looked as though he were speaking to the homicidal bunnies hopping around in his head. Again, Niall.

Although, Kit realized he should probably say something. The lack of food and water must have gone to his head, because he said loudly, breaking the silence, *"I'm not insane, I just have issues…"* trailing off, he realized what he had said and started smacking his head against the wall, groaning at this new embarrassment. _I just have _issues,_ don't worry, I'm COMPLETELY sane. HAH! *Niall, I am going to kick your feathery behind when I see you!* _Hearing devilish laughter echoing in his mind, Kit moaned and renewed his effort to die of humiliation. Of course, the angel would hear that. Not the desperate SOS calls, not the desperate screams for news on his children. No, just that horrid thought that the perverted and insane angel would definitely turn into an innuendo. He'd almost rather die.

_**T-that's great! Seriously, Kit, I didn't know you had such a dirty mind! T-to th-think you thought o-of m-me that way…**_ abruptly, the voice burst into hysterics. Cursing under his breath, he explained, "Niall has graced us with his presence."

All but Jason looked horrified. Kit hadn't told anybody about Niall yet and he was starting to regret that decision. Before he could say anything, Jason took the liberty of explaining. "Niall is an angel who took a liking to Kit. He's Derek's biological father and he actually seems to care about him. Other than the fact he's clinically insane, and is well on his way to driving Kit there as well, he's genuinely helpful. And he makes good pancakes."

Suddenly, Kit was questioning his choice of friends as they nodded in grave approval at one another. It was extremely sad that some of the strongest supernaturals in the state could be so easily conquered by…_pancakes._

_**Pancakes are amazing, Christopher Bae! Don't diss the pancakes! **_In retaliation, he brought up a mental image of Jason's attempt at cooking. With a shrill scream, Niall hissed, _**Dear Goddess, what the hell did he DO?**_

_I have NO idea, _thought Kit. Truthfully, there were much bigger things to worry about. Like dying, for one. But apparently, the Angel wasn't done yet. _**Oh, and Kit? Simon and Derek are trying to tear each other apart. Apparently, they both love Chloe and each of them wants to tell her how they feel. Due to my lack of parenting skills and the likelihood that I'd lose patience and accidentally kill one of them, I think it's best to leave this up to you. And also, can you choose Jason to die? Never have I met someone mutilate pancakes so badly! Getting off topic… Alright, so I sent them to a cottage in the woods, which might not have been the best idea since they were trying to kill each other twenty minutes ago and-oh, shit. Kit, my friend, I might just be the worst father ever. Do you think I'm a bad father for leaving my pup alone in the woods surrounded by homicidal maniacs with nothing to lose?**_

Nearly asleep from Niall's long dialogue, Kit just managed to catch the end of it and simply blinked. _What?_ It's times like these he pictured the angel actually raising Derek, and realized he was probably better off with the homicidal maniacs currently out for blood. It was actually terrifying to think of Niall trying to change baby Derek's nappies, then accidentally strangling him with the diaper somehow.

His attention was captured by the footsteps coming down the hall. Apparently, Andrew hadn't wanted to wait for the full hour to pass. The last words the angel thought to him were, _**Don't worry, Kit! Lady Shipa is sending help.**_

He was suddenly more scared than he had ever been in his life.

**Explanation for the ***

**If you have problems, what are you going to say? **_**I just have issues…**_

**To say that, it sounds like Kit has seen Niall's ass. Therefore, it's an innuendo waiting to happen.**

**So, I have decided that next chapter will be completely Derek and Simon. I'm getting tired of them fighting and making Simon an ass-hat, so I'm hurrying along the Change. Also, the pain Derek, Lily and Chloe are feeling is from being away from their mates for so long, Lily and Derek more than Chloe. Simon doesn't feel it because he rejected Lily as his mate, but don't worry. I plan on fixing that. 'til next time, faithful readers.**

**REVIEW! And get Niall hugs. Don't, and he just might kill you. And I won't post the teaser for baby Derek.**__


	8. Brother of Mine

**This is it, dear readers! The big Change! Derek doesn't have his dad, Chloe or Lily. Just the asshat Simon in a forest full of Cabal. Can the asshat pull it together, or condemn them all to death? One things for certain…ALL OC's MUST DIE! Maybe not in this chapter, but the next? Free game, darlings.**

**Disclaimer: Though I write a pretty awesome torture scene, I am not by any means a professional. Or Kelley Armstrong, who's in a league all her own.**

2 hours later

It was hot. Boiling hot. So hot, no words could describe it other than pure lava running through his veins in a sick attempt to burn him alive. And his muscles…they were dancing and writhing like snakes. Derek was almost tempted to cut into an arm, just to see what would happen. Maybe relieve the pain a little. In the end, he settled for a tiny whine and digging his bitten nails into the palms of his hands. Breathing shallowly, the werewolf tried to get a deep breath in but it…it _hurt _too much. The way his body was minutely shaking made everything too much. Already, he could feel the bones in his chest and back shift and creak to ready for the Change. The worst part of all this was that Derek was alone, even with Simon in the house. After all, they hadn't spoken a word to each other since the attempt to duke it out over Chloe.

Rocking himself back and forth in an attempt to calm himself, he let out a slightly louder whine at the thought of his innocent mate. Derek didn't know how this Change would turn out without someone to bring him away from all the pain. He swallowed dryly, wishing it didn't hurt so much to move. Right then and there, he knew he was going to die. Mentally, Derek made a list of things he never accomplished.

_1) Save Chloe, Lily and dad_

_2) Kiss Chloe_

_3) Tell Chloe I love her_

_4) Kill Andrew_

_5) Torture and kill Niall_

_6) Apologize to Simon_

_7) Date Chloe_

_8) Marry Chloe_

The list went on and on forever, most of the things involving his adorable mate. Choking, Derek felt incredible agony spread throughout his entire body before ever so slowly, it got numb. Breathing shakily, he searched desperately for the ties connecting him to Chloe only to sigh in relief when it was just as strong as before. With a sudden jolt, the wolf's awareness was torn from their mate to their beta. Lily's ties were weak and slipping, fraying at the edges as she started to leave this life. In a sudden desperation, he sent his own strength to keep her alive. The wolf growled in approval when the pain stopped and the ties rebound. Feeling sick, Derek knew he'd have to get off the floor of the kitchen sooner or later.

Hopefully later.

Grunting, he heaved himself up and swayed dizzily. Derek kept seeing double and was currently waiting for the little stars to start circling around his head. Of course is was astronomically impossible, then again so was changing into a wolf. Been there, done that, never want to do it again. But of course, he had to. Lady luck just had to fuck him over one last time before the Change took his life. How would it kill him, you ask? Since no one would distract him from the pain he'd naturally give in to the wolf to make it stop. It was nearly impossible to gain control once it's been taken from you and eventually, the small part of him in the wolf would fade. Just like that, Andrew would get what he wanted without even getting his hands dirty. Chloe would be alone unless she decides to let the past remain the past. Simon would be guilty as hell, therefore making Lily as guilty as hell. Kit would mourn, though he hoped not. His father had been put through enough.

Finally he got his feet under him. Derek was starving, practically whimpering from the sharp clenching of his stomach. Exhaustion would kill him if malnutrition didn't, and dehydration was a whole other story. If only he'd eaten breakfast before this had all started! Strangely, he found himself with a sudden craving for pancakes. It was odd, considering he didn't like them that much…it was probably Niall, but he was too worried to deal with his father's subtle manipulation. Instead, he immediately went down the hall into one of the bedrooms and locked the door. Derek highly doubted that if he was in as much pain as he was downstairs, the Change was happening here.

Of course, things were never that simple. Never for him.

Simon paused, then hesitantly added another box of graham crackers to his shopping cart. He felt stupid. People were staring at him and shaking their heads in disgust. Probably thought he was going to pig out on the three packs of sausages, five boxes of pizza pops, a twelve pack of coke, a few refillable water bottles, seven bags of apples, nineteen bananas, twenty ego waffles, four boxes of graham crackers, a good twenty pounds of red meat and god knows how many cans of ravioli. Sadly, this would only keep Derek going for about three days if they were lucky. Sometimes he regretted having a werewolf for a brother. Then he stopped. Right in the middle of the dairy isle. Everything his brother had done up until now had always been for his benefit, but everything Simon had owed to Derek had vanished since he stole Lily. He'd seen them run into the woods, laughing and happy. That couldn't be his. Still, he convinced himself the only reason he was buying all this was so Derek wouldn't eat the cabin. Or the old bottle of ketchup that looked like it had been there since the seventies. Either way, indigestion was a bitch.

Suddenly he frowned. How the hell would the twenty dollars in his pocket cover all this? The answer donned on him with frightening clarity. He wasn't.

Simon's best spells were actually glamours and illusions, not knock-backs like Chloe seemed to think. Sure, it's handy to throw someone into a wall if you want them unconscious. But if you're in a public place it's way easier to make them see something that isn't there. Like the fog. It was a simple Latin spell that becomes very useful if you use it often enough. Not surprisingly, Derek had found that, too. Sighing, Simon realized he was starting to miss his brother. Making his way to the cashier, he began absently muttering the spell as the checkout girl rang everything up. Barely glancing at the price, he focused until he had three hundred dollars in twenties. Blinking, he handed it to her and murmured, "Keep the change." He didn't stick around long enough to see her stunned reaction.

The bags were incredibly heavy and made him wish Derek had come with him. Lazy ass couldn't be bothered to help, he wouldn't get to eat tonight. Of course, Simon was fooling himself. No matter how much he hated his brother right now, seeing him hungry was like watching a puppy get beaten. Meaning there was no way in hell he could do it. That didn't mean Derek wasn't getting one dad patented lecture on responsibility.

Finally, after about twenty minutes struggling with the bags and watching the sun sink over the horizon, he made it to the crappy little cabin they're 'favorite' angel had guided them too. It was much too quiet, so Derek either ate the ketchup and was puking his guts out in the bush or he'd gone for a run. Strangely unnerved, Simon carried the sausages and coke outside and lit a fire. _Thank god for magic,_ he thought smugly after the fog around him merged with the smoke. Since he was pretty sure no sorcerers were working for the Cabal, he'd be safe using simple spells under the witches' radar. Satisfied, he stabbed a sausage with a stick and held it over the flames. After twenty minutes and still no Derek, Simon got the sudden urge to check on him. Ignoring it, he sipped at the coke then sighed and checked his blood sugar. It was a little high and he was long overdue for a shot of insulin. Deciding it was time for bed, he doused the fire and went into the room he'd claimed upon entering.

Simon was decidedly angry when he found Derek laying scrunched up in the very corner of the bed. But that anger vanished as soon as he saw just why he hadn't come outside for their late night supper.

Derek was curled into the fetal position, gasping and whimpering in apparent pain. Sweat soaked both him and the sheets and for a second, Simon thought he had the flu. That thought was blown out the window as soon as the moonlight trickled in through the window. Derek was too pale to have the flu and the crunching of bones against other bones made him feel slightly nauseous. Too horrified to speak, Simon was left gaping like a fish when he caught sight of the tears trickling down his brother's cheeks. It was like a universal rule. The rain would fall, the earth revolved around the sun and most importantly of all: _Derek NEVER cries._

Finding his words, Simon whispered hoarsely, "D, you okay?" It was a stupid question to ask, and he sounded like a child, but he had to know.

The only answer was a terrified moan, full of pain of unspeakable proportions. Slowly, Simon entered the room and laid a soothing hand on his back. Trying not to jerk back from the heat, he murmured, "You're Changing, aren't you?" when Derek nodded slowly, he whispered, "Hey bro, you'll be fine. Don't worry…" he trailed off as his brother let out a soft wail of barely restrained agony as he convulsed on the bed. It stopped just as suddenly as it began, and Derek moaned again. Kneeling next to him, Simon grabbed one of his arms and tugged until he stood shakily to his feet. Whimpering in the back of his throat, he met Simon's eyes as his chest heaved for breath, begging for comfort. Surprisingly enough, he gave it.

"Let me grab some water for you," he began softly, "Then we'll head out. OK?" At Derek's quick nod, he led his brother to the kitchen and took the water bottles he'd gotten and ran to fill them in the stream. It hadn't even been ten minutes since he'd left, but Derek was on the floor trying to hold back a scream. Simon quickly got him up and realized his lips were moving. Leaning in closer, he heard the whispered, "Chloe," and sighed at the sudden revelation. His brother had never loved Lily, just as a sister. God, he should have listened. But there wasn't any time for this now. Putting an arm around his broad back, Simon gently shoved Derek towards the woods.

Over the next few minutes, he had to make several stops to calm his brother and let him catch his breath. The soft whines made his heart ache as Simon rubbed deep into the writhing muscles and made him whine even more. The sorcerer-in-training, however, knew it was helping. Before long, they'd made it to a dense tangle of brush and ferns. Derek couldn't walk anymore and simply dropped to the forest floor. Leaning him against a tree, Simon was surprised when the werewolf burrowed his head against his own shoulder. Hesitantly, he wrapped Derek in a warm hug and rocked him slowly. Biting his lip, he quietly sang their father's lullaby. **(AN: I made this. Sucks, I know.)**

_Hush, child, hush,_

_Though the night is deep, _

_Close you're eyes and dream sweet dreams,_

_Sleep, child, sleep._

_Close you're eyes, dear one,_

_And start to fall asleep,_

_Know that I'll be right here,_

_Never far away._

_Sleep, child, sleep,_

_You will never be alone,_

_In you're darkest days,_

_Find a light to guide the way._

_Sleep through the night,_

_Never fear a thing,_

_Always will I be here,_

_With a song to sing._

Oddly enough, Kit himself never remembered where he'd heard the song. It always seemed to be able to bring Derek away from a nightmare. He'd learned the song when his mother left and Derek came to live with them. The white scars coating his brother's back and arms were the only ones that could be seen, mainly since the pants covered the rest. Simon had no doubt there was more and he also knew that if he asked, Derek would feign long term memory loss. Still, did he _really _want to know? His brother's past was just that. The past. And no matter how painful it was, it probably didn't eve register when it came to the Change. That was why he'd decided to help him, maybe remind him of the boy behind the beast. Shockingly enough, his presence alone seemed to soothe the squirming Derek. Apparently, the Change wasn't ready to start just yet.

Grabbing a water bottle, Simon held it to Derek's lips and made him drink it slowly. From what dad had told him about last time, he'd be puking it up later, anyways. Feeling a muscle twitch jerkily under the hand still on the werewolf's back, he sighed and rubbed none too gently at the annoyance. From Derek's pained grunt, it was probably less than appreciated but unless he worked out the knots while they were still forming, the others would have to wait around a week for the cavalry to come. This just brought him back to Niall's comment earlier. About saving them before Lily ran out of limbs. This brought out a panicky side of him he didn't even now he had. Between his lost girl, Derek in absolute agony and a destroyed family there was no doubt that stronger men than he had gone had from this much pressure. Oh, yeah. He was _definitely_ feeling the stress.

Derek let out a soft whine and scratched roughly at an arm. There wasn't much he could do other than slap his brother's hands away. When Derek's breathing became heavier, almost as if he was panting, Simon slapped his back gently and murmured, "How bad?" he new it was getting worse when terrified green orbs rose to meet his eyes. Whispering soft reassurances, Simon pushed his back against a tree and helped him get the shirt off. It was as if the werewolf's body was already changed on the inside because Derek was having trouble maneuvering the clothe over his head. Snorting slightly, Simon tugged it off for him and murmured jokingly, "You'll owe me for this one, D. If I have to take you're pants off…" he didn't get the chance to finish before Derek was crouched against the tree, body heaving in rough spasms. Quickly putting himself between his brother and the tree, Simon said whatever came to mind as he single mindedly stroked Derek's shoulders.

Dry heaves made Derek's body convulse and tremble. A soft wail made Simon wince in empathy of the pain he must have been feeling. Without pause, he stayed close to Derek and shushed him gently. When the heaving was reduced to gagging, Simon pulled his brother against his chest as a sign to lean against him. The Change was even worse than he'd thought, and this was just the beginning. Minutes after the short pause had begun, Derek's spine shot up with a sickening crack. He screamed in utter agony as more and more bones began to snap and rearrange. Swallowing the bile that rose in his throat, Simon pulled him closer until he was supporting about half of his brother's weight. Suddenly noticing a strange tattoo, his eyes drew up in silent admiration for whoever had done this amazing artistry. They were swirls of ebony lines forming a tribal wing design covering over half of Derek's back. When he saw the ink swirl, Simon realized that it wasn't actually a tattoo. It was the wings that had caused so much trouble for them a month ago. Smiling grimly, he thought about how easy those times seemed compared to now.

Carefully, he ruffled his brother's sweat soaked hair. The trembles running through him were more pronounced as his body shifted into a horrifying rendition of a monster movie. Simon hoped to god Derek wouldn't stay like that. Finally, with a scream that was more like a howl, Derek's body made the last changes and he instantly fell to the forest floor, panting and whimpering. He had to say, Derek made a pretty good wolf. Pure black, his brother would probably stand around 5'6 as a wolf, with around six feet in length. When glassy green eyes looked at him in pure exhaustion then rolled back, Simon let out a relieved laugh and leaned against his tree. Reaching an arm out, he brushed fingers through the soft pelt and drew back when he felt the heat still radiating from Derek. Staring at his brother, he realized suddenly that he'd have to Change back, as well. Groaning loudly Simon let his head thump against the tree as he slowly fell asleep.

Time lapse

Feeling slightly smug, Simon helped his brother limp into the cabin. The Change had taken a lot out of him, even without ripping around the clearing at lightening fast speeds. Smiling softly at Derek, he shoved him gently to the room he'd claimed and settled with taking up residence in the slightly smaller one at the end of the hall. After all, what could it hurt? Simon had his brother back.

Now all he needed was Lily.

**YAY! I is done the big chapter dedicated to fixing Derek and Simon's relationship! I is tired. Goodnight, dear readers! And REVIEW! They make me write faster.**


	9. Sacrifice

**Hey, loves! I just walked 8km. Uphill. Thankfully, I'm alive enough to right this chapter. Now, last time I said Lily was slipping away. So you get to see why in this chapter. The end is near, dear readers!**

**Disclaimer: Not finished high school. Not going to be able to walk tomorrow. Not Kelley Armstrong.**

Andrew had been mostly true to his word. After an early visit from the traitor, he'd been left with several bleeding gashes that would no doubt become infected and pain him to no end. Kit had gotten it easy, considering the twins both had splinters of bone peeking out from beneath bloody skin. Jason was seeing things, things apparently so horrifying the man couldn't stop screaming. He, well, _he _was just peachy. Although, if he could get an arm around Niall's neck and watch the color slowly drain from the angel's face, it would make him gladly give himself over to Andrew's tortures. Kit was a conservative man, but even he was driven to murder by the childishly insane Niall. Right now, though, he was fervently hoping for that rescue the lady Shipa had planned. It wasn't necessary for the others now, mainly because of the lack of breathing.

Yes, it had been about two hours and all of his companions were beyond hope. Sam, being a brave and stubborn half demon, believed he could take the pain and punishment. The boy was wrong. Andrew had made them watch as he set burning hot pokers all over his body, gagging them with the scent of boiling blood and burnt human flesh. It had only taken three minutes to make Sam scream, though Victoria did first. Andrew knew how to get to the twins…through each other. They were uncommonly close for siblings, sometimes seemingly able to read each other's thoughts and emotions. She had felt his pain and screamed with him, shrieked when bone after bone was shattered, wordlessly cried after a knife was cruelly jabbed into one of his chocolate eyes. Victoria was beyond all help as she furiously cried and cursed Andrew's name, cradling her head in her hands.

Sam, with blood gushing from several wounds and blinded in one eye, clung to life for a solid twenty minutes before those chocolate eyes closed for all of eternity. All through his quiet suffering, Victoria had nuzzled close to his side and sung quiet songs in a language only the two of them knew. As impossible as it seemed, the female twin had become completely lucid after her brother's death and carried on a conversation with Kit, trying to convince him it wasn't his fault. Of course, it hadn't worked and they all fell into a restless slumber. When they woke up, Victoria was lying curled up next to Sam's bloody corpse and clinging to it like a lifeline. It was only when they tried to wake her up that they realized the girl's eyes were wide open and staring at the ceiling. She was stone cold dead. From what, exactly, was obvious.

Victoria had died of a broken heart, unable to go through life without her other half. After the boy had died, Kit had been unable to see her starting a family, or growing old with a husband and sixteen grandchildren. All he could picture was a mourning sister waiting for the day she could join her twin in the oblivion of death. Apparently, the Gods had taken pity on her and reunited Sam and Victoria quicker than he'd ever thought possible. Looking at the corpses, he realized with queasy fascination that the twin's foreheads were touching in a final act of unity. He'd never seen anything more beautiful, yet so sad in his entire life.

Jason, now being the only one alive other than Kit, was subjected to Andrew's whimsies next. Kit had been unable to close his eyes, caught by a spell that left control over his body to the traitorous sorcerer he used to call friend. Andrew took his time with Jason, carefully and strangely artistically carving patterns deep into his friend's skin. After a while, the sorcerer got bored and brought out his favourite toy…the poker. Heated red-hot, it was gently placed to Jason's skin until it melted right to the very bone. By then, the screams had grown horse until finally, they stopped. Kit wasn't sure whether to be worried or grateful for the sudden silence, as Jason stopped moving. Sickeningly reminded of the horrid creature in the caverns, he shuddered and wished again for Shipa's intervention. But still, the promised help didn't come. Instead, he was forced to watch as his best friend's now mutilated body was repeatedly stabbed in non-lethal areas and thrown back into the cell to die.

Now Kit's time was nearly up. It had been almost an hour since Jason stopped breathing. With him counting the seconds until he, too, was murdered in cold blood. Hearing the footsteps get closer, he defiantly raised his head and met Andrew's eyes with his own bloodshot ones. Glaring, Kit raised himself to his knees and spat at his feet.

Raising an eyebrow, the other sorcerer chided, "Now, Kit! That wasn't very smart, now, was it?"

A sharp kick was delivered to his side, and he was struck repeatedly as the ex-marine used the military training to avoid critical points and make every hit count. After all, he didn't want to kill his toy, now, did he? Because that's all his former friend was-a toy, given to him to take out over a decade's worth of grief and anger in only a few minutes. Dropping to his knees, Andrew let fly a strong left hook to Kit's face, breaking his nose and severely bruising the cheekbone. Tasting blood, he gathered it in his mouth and spit the blood right into Andrew's eyes. Pausing in the beating, he slowly raised a hand and disgustedly wiped off the blood. Suddenly reaching beyond Kit's line of vision, he brought out rifle and stepped back to aim it at his chest. Snarling insanely, he hissed, "You'll die just like she did!"

Kit closed his eyes and prepared to make lady Shipa's acquaintance once again. Hearing the retort of a gun, he slowly realized he was not, in fact, dead. Swallowing, he opened his eyes to come face-to-face with his tormenter. Brain matter covered the walls liberally, making Kit gag at the sight. The warm arm that locked on his elbow made him whip around, which wasn't a good idea because of the dizziness that now turned into nausea. Turning his head, Kit choked up bile on the cold, rocky floor. The hand rubbed soothing circles on his back, waiting until he was done before pulling him gently to his feet. Blinking at the sudden movement, Kit turned to his rescuer and saw a familiar face. A beloved face.

"K-Kayla?" he croaked hoarsely in disbelief. She simply smiled and raised a water bottle to his lips. Realizing how thirsty he was, Kit greedily downed the life-giving liquid. Only to spit it out when the image of a naked ebony God became prevalent in his mind. Kayla, too, choked, except on laughter instead of water. Cursing fiercely at Niall, he tried desperately to get the picture out of his head only to have it become more and more vivid. After seeing things he had no intention of ever seeing, thanks to a smug and happy angel who for reasons unknown had seen Apolys in all his, uh…_naked, _glory. He really considered taking the rifle and getting the image out another way.

"That was…interesting," Kayla murmured in stunned amusement.

Sighing, Kit said, "Let's go free the kids. You can explain later."

Lily shrieked as every muscle in her body protested the involuntary movement it was now subject to. Chloe and Raziel watched in horror at the demon that was now trying to posses the shape shifter. Gasping, she slammed her head against the wall of the damp cave and writhed. Eyes wide and unseeing, they flickered form from a demonic black to husky blue and back again. Meanwhile, Jesse's cackling stopped when Chloe got her wits about her and gently tore the demon out of her self-proclaimed sister's body.

Slumping tiredly, Lily let herself slam hard into the floor. She no longer had the strength to fight for her own life, and the mad necromancer knew it. There wasn't anything more anyone could do except watch as a slender man with pale, pale skin lifted her off the ground and cracked her spine against his knee. Lily nearly screamed in pain, but it was even worse when everything went numb. Whimpering brokenly, she said goodbye to her dream of beautiful blond children and a forest home with her beloved Simon. Lily was dying, leaving this world just as surely as her father had. Barely able to open her eyes, the shape shifter watched the blurry form of her stepmother as the crone leaned over her. Eyes flickering to Chloe and Raziel, she knew she had to protect them.

Taking a breath she couldn't feel, Lily croaked, "He always loved Her more."

Jesse's head turned to her violently. The horror movie worthy scream that came from that ruined throat made her choke in fear, but she kept going. "Dad would always talk about her when you weren't there. How soft Shipa's hair was, the scent of her skin, even the way she walked. He'd compare the two of you, say he was happy, but we both knew he was lying. After all, who wants a lowly servant when they can have a queen?"

"Shut up, _shut up, __**SHUT UP!"**_ she screamed. But Lily had already signed her death sentence.

"Daddy used to wonder why he got stuck with you. Kept going on about how the Gods were angry at him for abusing the gift Shipa left for him. He'd stroke my hair, tell me I was just like her and would leave him someday when I didn't want him anymore. But you'd still be there, trying to make his life complete when all you're really doing is fooling yourself. _He never loved you, Jesse. _And nobody ever w-" Lily's distraction attempt was cut off when she realized there was a knife in her stepmother's hands. There was only one way left to save her pack.

Use Shipa's power.

Breathing deeply, her senses plunged deep below the earth and into a dimension full of demons and unspeakable horrors. Feeling the light brush against their minds, the beasts hissed and knew they were being summoned. Eager to serve, they opened their minds and let Lily whisper her message.

_I am Lily Fortunata, daughter of your lady. I call upon you now to free me from my hell and shred the one that brought me here. There is no need to hold back, nor any excuses for any injuries sustained to my friends. If anything becomes of them, whoever touched them will feel my claws. Do I make myself perfectly clear, dear ones? _she passed on coolly.

The demons hissed in appreciation of her coldness, accepting her request with absolutely no arguments. Allowing her lips to twitch up, Lily melded her mind to theirs without difficulty and led them to her prison. Now back in her own body, she allowed a small smile to grace her lips as Jesse's screams of utter terror turned to gurgles as the demons did their work. She'd unleashed hell upon this earth. After that, the blackness was welcome.

Just minutes later, Simon and Derek barrelled into the cavern to be greeted with the a sight straight from hell. Demons ran rampant, until they saw Derek. Then they bowed and cooed in submission, pure admiration shining in their eyes. When the young sorcerer caught sight of his mate, the first thought that came to his mind was how beautiful she looked with her white hair spilled messily over the floor…a floor that was quickly becoming more red than black. Repeatedly whispering 'no', Simon dropped to the ground beside Lily and grasped the knife protruding from her heaving chest. For just a minute, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. Those rose petal lips formed the words, "I love you, Simon."

A final breath was drawn as a single scream pierced the air.

**That's it guys! Not. I wouldn't do that to you! (laughs maniacally and backs away)**


	10. Epilogue

Blue eyes solemn yet full of tears, Chloe grasped Derek's hand tightly in hers. Barely two months after their freedom began, and already four funerals had taken place. The twins, Sam and Victoria, were together for all of eternity in a single grave. After hearing their story, the teens would have it no other way. Pink roses were placed at the foot of the gravestones and among them a single red one, to thank Sam for all the blood he had shed protecting the others from torture. It was all they could do, but it would never be enough.

Jason was buried in his family's mausoleum. Stone angels towered over them, heads bowed in prayer or sorrow. One of the bravest, funniest supernaturals any of them had ever known, he had been mourned by everyone who knew him. Crowds of people wearing black had shown up to watch the ashes of an old friend being placed on a mantel in the brilliant marble tomb. One of the mourners was Kit, arm wrapped around Kayla as he tried once again to forgive himself for causing his companion's untimely demise. Clutching her close, he relived the screaming and smell of burnt flesh as a way to make himself suffer, Kayla slapped his chest and growled a warning under her breath. Taking the hint, the sorcerer stared straight ahead.

At last, they reached the site of the last grave. Here, perhaps, lay the best of them, who against all the odds managed to do the right thing and at the same time lose years of pain, both old and fresh. Lady Shipa, wearing a flowing black dress that didn't seem to touch the ground, and Niall, who was surprisingly sombre in a fitted black tuxedo and red tie. Tears flowed freely from their eyes, for the lost life of family. Placing a bouquet of black roses against the shining stone, they both glided into the woods and vanished without a trace. None had even noticed their presence.

Two more mourners stepped up to the tombstone, Chloe clutching daffodils and Derek playing idly with a broken pair of shackles. Placing them on the ground in front of the freshly churned earth, he whispered respectfully, "You're turn, Chloe."

Swallowing heavily, the little necromancer stepped forward and whispered, "Oh, my friend. Why did you have to die? I wanted so badly to have a sibling like you when I was growing up, but…it doesn't matter. For what you did for us, _all_ of us, there are no words to say. I speak for everyone when I say we'll miss you. Always." Dropping her flowers, she turned to the people waiting for her.

A single white Calla lily floated on the breeze as Simon let it drop from his fingers, tears flooding his eyes. Whispering a few words, he turned to Lily and asked quietly, "Ready to go?"

For the name on that stone wasn't hers.

_**Raziel Solomon Lazarus**_

_**Beloved friend and faithful guardian**_

_**May the angels watch over you**_

_**Just as you did for them**_

_**Unknown - Oct. 13**__**th**__**, 2011**_

_**R.I.P, our healing angel**_

_Flashback_

_Simon whimpered as Lily's breathing faltered. Cradling her to his chest, he whispered fervently, "I love you, Lils. Don't leave me. Don't leave…" choking, he sobbed brokenly over his mate's mangled body. Feeling someone tugging at his arms, he looked up to meet the deep silver eyes of a nineteen year old boy who looked to be the poster child for famine in Africa. Simon looked into those orbs and saw life. Hope for another day of living. As he kneeled in awe of that hope, Raziel gently slid Lily's heaving body away from him. Placing a hand over her head and heart, he whispered, "A life for a life, sister. Take mine."_

_Gently closing his eyes, the healing angel felt his life force slowly trickle away. Slumping forward, he slipped the knife out of Lily's chest and placed his now cold hand over the wound. Finally, after he'd given all he had, Raziel fell to the ground and welcomed the first peace he'd known in centuries. Simon, now squeezing a very much alive and uninjured Lily, whispered a broken, "Thank you."_

_Chloe, who watched it all happen, let out a bloodcurdling scream when Raziel fell. Tears poured down her cheeks at the loss of the brother she never had. Derek held her back, cooing, "It's over now." After brushing his lips against hers, they were both left in a melancholy daze in the destruction all around them. Blinking, their lips hesitantly met again then turned into a fiery, passion filled kiss that lasted almost a full minute. Simon and Lily were in their own little world, exchanging small touches and wordless looks. Together, they silently mourned for the loss of their guardian angel._

_End Flashback_

As he turned to leave, Lily's slender fingers looped through his own and she whispered softly, "Let's stay a while longer." Smiling up at him, she pressed her lips to his.

Breaking away, he looked into her eyes and revelled in the pure love of his goddess. For now he knew, she was his alone.

**The End!**

**Prequel up eventually. REVIEW!**


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